Whoa! In the space of a month, Sydney has just about conquered all of her early childhood fears.
It started the day she came how from daycare wearing... (Gasp!)... (Rub the eyes - am I seeing this right?)... a Band-aid! Unlike her brother who still thinks Band-aids make injuries feel better, Sydney hates them. At doctor appointments, she has cried harder at the site of the nurse offering a Band-Aid, than at the nurse who gave her the shot. She's not totally past this particular fear - she still didn't want a Band-aid the last time Gus scratched her hand and made it bleed. - but somehow she's determined that Band-aids from her school don't hurt.
It's a start.
She's made far greater progress with regard to costumed mascots. A few weeks ago, while trick-or-treating during Boo at the Zoo, Sydney spotted the Texas Roadhouse armadillo (at least I think that's what the oversized mascot was supposed to be.) She wrapped herself around my leg as we made a very wide a circle to avoid him.
"Don't worry," I assured her, "you don't have to go near them if you're scared."
Apparently, she took that as a challenge. Later in the afternoon, we spotted the Zoo's extremely grungy polar bear mascot. It was walking around carrying a chalkboard announcing a costume contest. Sydney stopped and stared, and then hesitantly waved.
The mascot must not have noticed, because it ignored her, which must have emboldened her. The next thing I knew, Sydney let go of my hand and lunged at the crusty creature. She wrapped her arms around its waist, gave it a quick hug, and then raced back to me with a look of wonder and triumph on her face. She'd done it! She. Hugged. A mascot!
Driving home, savoring this personal victory, Sydney started imagining other possibilities now that she' no longer hindered by this fear. "I can't wait for Easter! I'm going to go to AJ's school and sit on the Easter bunny's lap."
Then on Tuesday, she came home from a field trip with pink smudges on each cheek. She'd gotten her face painted! Another first!
I believe the above smudged artwork had been a ladybug. There's a crown on the other cheek. (I forgot to take a picture until she was in the tub and we were about to wash it off. Thus the tightly cropped photo.)
Fresh off that fete of bravery, Sydney surprised me again. Last night she overcame her aversion to stickers.
"Mommy, come see my room!" she excitedly called.
She then proudly displayed her handiwork: her bookcase is now covered with Barbie Fairy Princess stickers.
Sydney has always hated stickers. (For no particular reason that I can think of other than they're sticky like Band-aids.) And yet she suddenly was able to pull them from a long forgotten activity book and plaster them on her bookcase. How...um... delightful! (There were also some stickers on the wall by her bathroom, so we had a quick talk about where it's okay to put stickers. Bookcase - yes. Walls - no.
Band-aids and stickers, face painting and costumed mascots. I can't think of any other irrational fears for her to overcome. And that scares me a little. How will she next decide to demonstrate her new-found bravery?
Hi Dana! I read your story and had to share a short story with you. My daughter, Lindsey, was always afraid of mascot costumes, too. Santa, Easter Bunny, etc. She would get so angry and hit at them, even from afar. Well last year she got her first job(she's 17)working at the mall as the Easter Bunny! She loved it!
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