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Originally Posted by popo
...and importantly, do not show fear of the dentist in front of your kids. That's how they learn to fear it themselves.
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Very well said. Kids take their cues on how to react from their parents. If you're all anxiety-stricken over what's going on, you will pass that down to the child.
When I did my EMT rounds, I had a 12 year old girl who passed out in the shower (for a variety of bad medical reasons I won't bother with detailing). The girl was fair to poor, but stable, while we interviewed her, but mom started freaking out when we started to backboard her. The poor girl's vitals started shooting through the roof- her respirations went way up suddenly, she started getting very anxious, and her pressure increased dramatically. I had to tell her to calm down for her daughter, because she was making her very nervous and I needed for that little girl to stay very calm in her condition.
Thankfully, mom calmed down (with the help of dad standing with her) and the girl's numbers all went back to where they were. Talking to her calmly in the back of the ambulance, assuring her that we were doing everything we could to make her feel better, her vitals perked up a bit.
I was told this by every Paramedic I rode with, that a lot of parents do not understand how much their children understand, and how much their reaction is based on your reaction.