It is not unusual and quite normal for children to show a certain fear of everything that has to do with the world of clowns. It is one of the most common fears among the little ones and do not downplay it. There are cases in which these fears can become a difficult-to-solve phobia.
Of course, you don't have to wait for such fear to get worse and try to solve the problem. In the following article we show you the causes or reasons why children tend to be afraid of clowns and the best way to treat such fear.
Children's fear of clowns
Saying fear it is quite common in the little ones and there are many children who have a very bad time seeing them. In principle, the clown should cause the opposite effect and make children laugh, however in a fairly high percentage of the child population, clowns are very scary. The reasons why this occurs are varied:
- The figure of the clown is characterized by the fact of hiding its true face and wearing a lot of makeup and a wig. This causes great mistrust of the little ones and not being able to see the true face causes fear.
- The clown's makeup is very striking as well as exaggerated and it does not correspond at all with the image that children have of adults.
- Another reason for this fear is the fact of the sounds they emit and the type of movements they usually do on a regular basis.
- The environment around the clown figure doesn't help either. There is a lot of noise and that overwhelms the little ones.
- On the other hand, the clown is treated in the cinema or on television as an evil and terrifying being. This has a negative impact on the image that many children may have of it.
How to deal with children's fear of clowns
As with the vast majority of fears, they go away as they come. As children get older they realize that clowns are not to be feared. The problem is the fact that the fear gets worse and ends up becoming a real phobia for the child. It is the parents' job to make children see that clowns are characters created to make people laugh and nothing else.
- Parents should not underestimate the fact that the little one has a real fear of clowns. You have to know how to empathize and support him so that he feels understood at all times.
- If the little one has a real fear of clowns, you should never take him to the circus or any show where they are present. If this happens, the fear can escalate and can become a real phobia.
- For the child to become much more familiar with clowns and overcome his fear, it is good to buy makeup and wigs to play dress up as clowns. In this way and with some patience, the child can forget the fear of clowns and see them as disguised people who seek to make others laugh.
- The important thing is that the child moves away from that figure that provokes terror and fear in equal parts and begin to see the clowns themselves as people in disguise without further ado.
In short, the fear of clowns can be something normal that many children can suffer and that luckily is usually temporary. Another totally different and distinct thing is to feel a paralyzing fear that causes you a lot of anxiety. If the latter occurs, it is important to go to a professional who knows how to solve such problem, since in this case it is possible that it is a phobia.