- Parents can support children’s healthy development by modeling ways to manage challenges to build confidence.
- Modeling matters: if parents show anxious, avoidant behavior, children are more likely to adopt it. Parents who demonstrate calm problem-solving provide healthier examples.
- Reassurance is important: anxiety is a common, human experience—not unique or shameful.
- Parents should frame anxiety as manageable, something to face strategically rather than as a catastrophe to avoid.
- Encouraging kids to tackle smaller anxieties first and reinforcing their success helps build confidence to handle larger fears over time.
- Overall, parents can support kids best through modeling resilience, normalizing anxiety, problem-solving strategies, and gradual exposure with praise.
Model Calmness to Help Kids with Anxiety
Parents play a key role in helping children manage anxiety, both through modeling and active support.
Craig Donnelly, MD, Pediatric Psychiatry
