Page 24 - IFV Issue 8 August 2026

Health and Wellness

WHY ARE OUR CHILDREN

SO ANXIOUS?

BY LAUREN FISCHER, HARMONY AT HOME

ately, I seem to be having versions And many of them carry those fears
of the same conversation with very deeply.
Lparents over and over again. That is part of what makes anxiety
Often at the end of a long day. in children difficult sometimes. It does
A parent will eventually sigh and say not always look obvious. Some anxious
something like: children become perfectionists.
“I don’t know what’s going on lately. Some become angry or emotionally
My child just seems anxious all the reactive. Some constantly complain
time.” of headaches or stomachaches. Some
And honestly, many children do. seem exhausted by the end of the
Not necessarily in the dramatic ways school day. Others become unusually
people expect, either. quiet.
Sometimes it is a child crying over Children are also growing up in a
homework after holding it together world that moves incredibly quickly.
all day at school. A teenager who Many families are trying to keep
suddenly cannot face going to a social up with long school days, traffic,
event they were excited about earlier extracurriculars, homework, screens,
in the week. A child who cannot sleep notifications, work pressure and
because they are worrying about a schedules that rarely leave much
class test or a friendship issue that space for anybody to properly switch
feels enormous to them, even if it off. Children absorb that pace too.
seems small to the adults around They absorb us too.
them. They notice stress inside a home
Sometimes it is the child who looks even when nobody is openly talking
completely fine all day and then falls about it. They notice rushing. They
apart emotionally at bedtime. notice tension. They notice when
I remember sitting with a Grade 3 everybody is emotionally stretched
child not long ago who asked me very thin.
seriously: That does not mean parents are
“If I keep getting answers wrong doing something wrong. Most families
in class tests… does that mean I’m are simply trying to get through
stupid?” modern life while doing the best they
The child was eight. can.
And what stayed with me afterwards But anxious children usually do not
was not only the question itself, need perfect parents.
but how young the child still was to They need emotionally safe ones.
already be carrying that kind of fear Children calm down much faster
about themselves. when they feel understood.
More and more children seem Sometimes changing: “Stop
frightened of getting things wrong. overreacting” to: “That feels really big
Not being chosen. for you right now” changes the entire
Not fitting in. emotional direction of a moment.
Falling behind. And often, the things that help are
Disappointing people. not particularly complicated.

22 • August 2026 • The Villager