Fear Is a Feature

Fear is not a malfunction. It is ancient safety software, the same system that kept our ancestors alert to real danger. Your child's brain runs that software a little too eagerly, which is why the dark and the closet feel threatening. When you wave the fear away, you teach a quiet lesson: your inner alarm is wrong, ignore it. Do that for years and you raise an adult who overrides their own gut. The goal is not a fearless child. It is a child who can feel afraid and act anyway.