Stress Center Peer Support

Is this normal? My daughter told me this weekend that she felt like we weren't really in a car but there was someone playing with cars moving all of us around on the earth. I laughed with her about it and told her that was interesting. She didn't seem concerned it was like she was just telling a story. She has a great imagination.

But is that a normal thing to think about? I've had thoughts like that from time to time myself but not in a long time.

My main thing is she is so much like me I hope she never gets to having panic attacks. I hope I can help her so that even if she's susceptible to them that they don't bother her like mine have.

Faith_TX - I don't think I would make a big deal over this. I have 2 sons (8 & 12) and believe me, they can pull from imagination things that make us stop and think. I think they are just exposed to so much more than we were, and therefore have vivid imaginations. I am like you in the fact that I don't want to pass on the Panic Attack issues to my kids. Good Luck!

Yeah I think you're right. I didn't make a big deal with her because I always want her to tell me what she's thinking. I just said "oh how interesting!" and moved on.

Now, I will admit, the time that we were standing by the shark tank and she said. "what would happen if someone wanted to get revenge and they threw someone in the tank with the sharks?" That I gasped and said her name. . .and said "wow what would make you think a thing like that?"

She just shrugged it off. She's a very interesting mix of my imagination and her father's ability to blow stuff off. That's probably a good thing!

faith_tx, i have to agree that over-analyzing a child's words is a waste of energy because it always seems that by the time we come up w/ just 1 possibility of what it could mean, they're onto another subject all together! sometimes(esp. now-adays) i really think that we ALL know too much about psychology. it's useful of-course for us as adults but when it comes to our children today i really wish the universal diagnoses would go back to "kids will be kids"!

So true!!! My mother certainly didn't worry about my "self-esteem" when I was a kid and I turned out OK (relatively LOL)

it is funny. i have 3 boys, my oldest who is 8 has alot of the same symptoms as i and maybe you and prob. everyone else on this site. i RACKED my brains over it for the last 2-3 yrs. and finally decided that, yes, even though genetics plays a HUGE roll- i've TAUGHT my son "escape&avoid","hyperventilate instead of rationalize" BUT he's my son, so even though i didn't want him to catch onto these things- i'm his mom, he learns soooo much from my example! three years later i've realized i need to work on ME so i can be a better example!

that is so true. I'm learning to be calmer and one of the biggest motivators is being a good example for my kids.

ya know what's funny...2wks ago before starting this program.. i was ALWAYS the snippy & cynical... kids are such a "job" and cause sooo much anxiety> and just in these 2wks i've learned that i've made it a "job"! i REALLY want to enjoy, truly ENJOY my children! i just need to relax. i'm really working towards understanding my husband when he says "who cares". being "laid back" was never a quality i possessed but boy-oh-boy i HOPE i can get there!

yeah I am right there with you. I SO want to be more fun for my kids. I feel so crabby sometimes and I want to be the Mom that is soft and gentle yet strict in the "right" ways.

My husband is that kind of Dad and plays more and has fun with them.

He's a bit less sweet with me than them, but that's another subject. We're working on it.

What an interesting thread...thanks for sharing. Our kids was a BIG motivator of my getting this program...I've struggled thru having panic attacks for years, so I needed the guidance of the program but REALLY felt the need to get myself filled with new habits, so as to be a better example for our kids. Funny how some people (my hubby also being one of them) that seem to be "wired" already, to not let things bother them too much; have the ability to say "oh well"! Faith, in reading some of your recent posts...you really said a mouth full on this one, when you said, "My husband is that kind of Dad and plays more and has fun with them". I hope you can focus alot of energy on the positives, in my eyes the good Dad quality is huge! I think I have a GOOD feel for some of your thoughts/feelings of prior posts...and I'm guilty of thinking "I could do this all so much easier by myself"...what a whacked out thought that is! Like God is with us, we have to be tolerant of each others strengths as well as weaknesses...guys so often have such a different dialogue in expressing their feelings than us women do...I guess what I'm trying to say is to keep eyes & ears open for the subtle actions that truly say, "I love you and I love our family" rather than fixating on our "expectations" of how things "should be"! These were two topics that really hit me like a ton of bricks! :p
I hope you enjoy your precious present moments with your entire family this week end!
Best wishes