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Post by fruitbat on Apr 22, 2008 6:54:34 GMT
I have a child that was stung by a wasp last summer.
She is now a complete nightmare when anything insect like flies near her. Even in a butterfly farm she got rather hysterical, yet she loves butterflies.
The honey bees and bumble bees are now starting to emerge and already we are having the screaming abdabs (where did that word come from) every time we see one. On the beach in Spain last year it was just a complete headache.
I understand her fear, obviously, because the sting hurt her. However she has been bitten by dogs 3 times, but is still happy to cuddle a rottweiler!
How do I get her over her fear. I have tried rationale, but we all know with phobias that does not help. My patience (and I have very very little of that) is now wearing thin.
Where do I go from here? Any advice welcome.
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Post by shmumph on Apr 22, 2008 7:52:39 GMT
Don't know if it will help with your daughter as my Son hadn't been stung by anything, but I just explained to him that bee's and wasps were looking for flowers to sniff, and as soon as they realised he wasn't a flower they would fly off again, so if He just stood still long enough for them to realise he was a smelly little boy not a pretty flower he would be ok.
But I can't say anything it's cotton wool that scares the hell out of me.
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Post by Kim on Apr 22, 2008 7:55:48 GMT
I have several phobias and they really took hold of me - I ended up going to the doctors and then on to sessions at the hospital.
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Post by bobdezon on Apr 22, 2008 8:40:58 GMT
I have a child that was stung by a wasp last summer. She is now a complete nightmare when anything insect like flies near her. Even in a butterfly farm she got rather hysterical, yet she loves butterflies. The honey bees and bumble bees are now starting to emerge and already we are having the screaming abdabs (where did that word come from) Its from a song written by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan in 1914 and was popular in the 1920s Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab," Said the Chimpie to the Monk, "Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab," Said the Monkey to the Chimp. Used as a slang varient to describe delerium. Familiarity breeds contempt. I suggest exposure to insects. Perhaps one of those kids days in the museums where they let you handle insects etc. Documentaries on insect life may also help. If all else fails, a beekeeper suit and a cricket bat.
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Post by lilith on Apr 22, 2008 9:32:42 GMT
I had loads of phobias when I was a kid and sometimes my mum forced me to "confront" them. I very nearly ended up a gibbering wreck and it definately didn't make them any better. When you do see a bee or wasp try not to react to it (easier said than done when you know she is about to scream her head off!), but if you tense up when you see one, she'll start to think "mummy is scared of the bee too so it must be scary!". I know it's difficult but if everyone around her can remain calm it will ease her anxiety somewhat. Perhaps you could do things like watch movies where the flying insects are friendly-the ant bully and bee movie might be a good place to start. I've found a few videos online that might be some help www.videojug.com/interview/childhood-phobias-and-anxieties#when-does-my-childs-fear-become-a-phobiaGood luck with it, I really feel for you on this one, I was a nightmare when I was a kid ;D
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Post by maria on Apr 22, 2008 9:47:54 GMT
I was stung by a wasp when i was little and i'm still scared of them now.......
Didn't help that a few years back i had a wasps nest outside my window and they would come into my bedroom......thing is everytime i see one i screech, so if i'm not careful i will pass on my fears to Izzy.
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Post by maria on Apr 22, 2008 9:50:08 GMT
But I can't say anything it's cotton wool that scares the hell out of me. Really, can i ask why hun........
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Post by fruitbat on Apr 22, 2008 10:01:24 GMT
I was stung by a wasp when i was little and i'm still scared of them now....... Didn't help that a few years back i had a wasps nest outside my window and they would come into my bedroom......thing is everytime i see one i screech, so if i'm not careful i will pass on my fears to Izzy. Silly thing is, I have no fear of them. But she really does scream when she sees one.
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Post by maria on Apr 22, 2008 10:02:35 GMT
It's really painful hun, i remember it well!
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Post by fruitbat on Apr 22, 2008 10:05:07 GMT
It's really painful hun, i remember it well! Oh I know. Have been stung myself.
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Post by maria on Apr 22, 2008 10:12:35 GMT
Hate the little buggers!!! grrrrrrrr
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Post by kensington on Apr 22, 2008 10:23:47 GMT
Good luck Fruitback with conquering your daughter's phobia. Yes I agree exposure is probably one of if not he best way of combatting it. I too was stung by a bee at about the age of five but thankfully I never developed a phobia. My main phobias I developed in my teens and I am not certain why. My main fears are hights and dirty bathrooms. My worst fear however is needles. I am terrified and have had to have as many as two other people to hold me down and relax me and when having an injection. I've passed out as a result a few times. Even talking about blood makes me faint. I once fainted at school because our teacher was talking about an old injury of his and two years ago I started fainting at the hair dressers after she explained why she had a bandage on her hand
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Post by steje73 on Apr 22, 2008 10:30:38 GMT
Birds is my main one. I was once chatting to a girl I really liked on a bench, being tolerably smooth, when a pigeon nipped out from under my feet. There was an ungainly flailing incident. ;D
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Post by starx on Apr 22, 2008 10:35:44 GMT
Good luck Fruitback with conquering your daughter's phobia. Yes I agree exposure is probably one of if not he best way of combatting it. I too was stung by a bee at about the age of five but thankfully I never developed a phobia. My main phobias I developed in my teens and I am not certain why. My main fears are hights and dirty bathrooms. My worst fear however is needles. I am terrified and have had to have as many as two other people to hold me down and relax me and when having an injection. I've passed out as a result a few times. Even talking about blood makes me faint. I once fainted at school because our teacher was talking about an old injury of his and two years ago I started fainting at the hair dressers after she explained why she had a bandage on her hand You want to try having blood taken out of your wrist, they stick the needle straight down into the area that has a pulse, so they can get arterial blood out. Man, that one really does hurt as it feels like they are digging straight into bone. Need any smelling salts now Will? ;D
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Post by luckydiane on Apr 22, 2008 11:26:44 GMT
I don't particularly like wasps or hornets, as I was stung by both on a number of occasions when I was young. I also remember my mother swotting at wasps in my bedroom, supposedly killing it but we couldn't find where they landed until I inadvertently sat on it and was stung again. I still hate wasps, but I like bees even though too can sting but more in self-defence than pure vindictiveness. Unfortunately the world isn't full of nice cuddly things that we like to impress upon our children. They're are the nasty things out there that are dangerous, and the only way to get over one's fear is to understand them: reading books, looking at pictures etc. It will be difficult and will take time, and may not even work. But I wish you luck
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Post by kensington on Apr 22, 2008 11:54:44 GMT
Star I need holding down juSt thinking about it. Get me the smelling salts NOW! Fainting fit coming on
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Post by mistral on Apr 22, 2008 12:15:16 GMT
My phobia is whales, i really freak out, even writing this makes my heart thump! I have no idea why. When i went to the National History Museum i had to wait and not go into where they house the bones. If i see one on tv i almost come to tears. I think its the fact that they are so big, i also don't like deep water so maybe that has something to do with it. Insect must be a harder to avoid fear as you see them so often.
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Post by BeamStalk on Apr 22, 2008 14:29:38 GMT
I have apiphobia also. I was chased by a nest of ground hornets when I was younger. One of the adults there at the time was laughing because he said it looked like a cartoon, just a big black ball chasing me. I still don't find it funny, he did get stung more than me though. I was in my early teens then 13,14 something like that. I am now 31 soon to be 32 and I am starting to get over it. I used to just freak and run anytime I saw or heard a bee, wasp, hornet, etc.. I realized this was a bad thing when I was prewiring a house for internet and cable, saw a wasp and I jumped down from the attic space to the floor without looking. Doesn't sound bad except for the fact that if I had jumped to the wrong place I would have had a 50 to 60 foot drop. This house is the epitome of McMansion.
So I understand what your child is going through, it is one of those things they will have to conquer on their own. You might try being right there with them and letting them know you will keep them safe.
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Post by hellyp on Apr 22, 2008 19:51:44 GMT
I have a strange phobia to add to the fairly normal one of hospitals - the propellers of massive ships.
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Post by Kim on Apr 22, 2008 20:35:55 GMT
I have a phobia of public transport
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