HELP, DS7 afraid to fly!!!!!

[hannahon]

Anyone have any suggestiong to help us convince our 7 year old son that getting on an airplane is not scary??? Our trip is not until September, but I am afraid it may take that long to convince him of this. Right now he says he will not go unless we drive, and if we fly he will find himself a babysitter for the week, silly kid. Any advice????

 

[Tam1067]

My DS was afraid, too. We even called the airline to find out what would happen if he refused to get on the plane (answer: if he's freaking out, we would not be allowed to stay on). For us, the issue was tied to the 9/11 attacks.

We repeatedly told him how safe it is to fly, how lots of people do it everyday, how the pilots have studied a long time to fly the plane, and how much fun he'd have when we got to the destination. Our pediatrician also recommended some books we could read to him (really they were all about overcoming fears in general). He also advised us that if we showed any fear or apprehension ourselves, it would make it worse.

Our fearful one has flown twice now since then, and though he doesn't like it, he'll do it.

 

[LadyShea]

Does he have a specific fear, or just the "unknown"? Could you take him to the airport to show him all the people/kids getting on and off planes, some of them even happy?

 

[canadianmom2three]

Our DS 11 also hates to fly, he would sooner drive for 24hours with his two siblings driving him crazy, than take the 2.5 hour flight. He is getting better, but then he was never the type to pitch a fit, he would just be pale, shaky and sick with anxiety. We showed him some sites that explain how safe flying is and talk about the different noises that you hear which are normal, which I think he was imagining that meant the plane was about to crash. Now last time we flew was the first time he seemed to be more ok with the whole thing, so I think it has been a process of him getting more used to it, or maybe maturing a bit.

 

[Wendybird55]

Do you know what in particular he's afraid of so you can address it directly? Maybe if any of his friends were on aplane they can tell him how great it is and not to be scared. Sometimes kids listen better to other kids then adults.

When I was a kid I hated long car trips (still do) I would much rather fly. Anyway, my mom would get me dramamine to help if there was any motion sickness, It made me a bit drowsey and helped for me to sleep during much of the dreaded car trip.

Visits to the airport might help. Unfortunately with all the security and stuff now you can't get on a plane unless you have a ticket.

It's a tough one. First I wouldn't dismiss the fear because it's very real to your son. Maybe there's a counseer at his school who can give you some tips on how to deal with this.

Good Luck

 

[hannahon]

Thanks for all of the thoughts!!! Unfortunately, he can't really tell us what he is scared of, so it is hard to address an issue. We would love to take him to the airport, but like you said, with security we can't even get to the terminals, also our airport is 100 miles away. I did think about talking to our doctor to see if he had any recommendations. Thanks again!!!