this reminds me of something that happened to me just yesterday:
i was at the playground, trying to convince my daughter to go down the slide on her own.
She kept saying it was too scary, so I went down first to show her it wasnt scary. Then, still not convinced, she said there were monsters in the slide! I, of course, told her I got rid of them on the way down. She pondered for a moment, then decided it wasn't so scary anymore. Shortly thereafter she went down the slide herself!
It was a funny, insightful moment, negotiating her fears without invalidating them.
i was at the playground, trying to convince my daughter to go down the slide on her own.
She kept saying it was too scary, so I went down first to show her it wasnt scary. Then, still not convinced, she said there were monsters in the slide! I, of course, told her I got rid of them on the way down. She pondered for a moment, then decided it wasn't so scary anymore. Shortly thereafter she went down the slide herself!
It was a funny, insightful moment, negotiating her fears without invalidating them.