Me son (5) is nervous about me flying

[Simon10]

I don´t fly to much (unfortunately, due to costs and having a family and so on).

However, I try to keep current and this friday I´m due to do a PC. Having mentioned this to my son he became nervous and have been talking about it for a few days. He is nervous about me not coming back, the helicopter being broken and so on.

I´ve tried to talk to him but he seem to keep worrying about this. He dosen´t really like to fly helicopters nor fixed-wing. He has flown once with me in a chopper which really put him off. Flying to Greece last summer really made things worse. Now he declares that he "hates to fly"

Anyone have good advice on how to reason with these small minds?

[toolguy]

My son is seven and once he gets something into his head it is almost impossible to get it out. He refuses to let the barber cut his hair with electric clippers, fearing he will cut his ears off. Overcoming children's fears is difficult and takes a long time. It sounds like your son got it in his head that helicopters are dangerous. He probably saw a TV show or news with views of helicopters crashing. The best advice I can give is to not mention your flying to your son, but try to get him to talk about the subject. It may be that your flying is not the problem, it may be that he just wants to spend time with you and flying cuts into his time. It took us years and many tears to find out why my son was afraid of the barbers clippers and he still will not let them be used, but at least we know why he is afraid and work to overcome it. I wish you luck with this, maybe someday kids will be issued with a manual.

[GLSNightPilot]

I don't have a good answer for you. My wife still doesn't think I really know how to fly, although I've been doing it since long before we were married, and we've been married for almost 30 years. I've been doing this for a living for a long, long time but she still doesn't like to fly with me. I took my son along once, back when he was 12 or so, and he didn't like it much, although he never obsessed about my safety, AFAIK.

Movies are really bad for this. Almost every movie you see with a helicopter in it has a spectacular crash, and young children have a very difficult time separating movies from reality. If he's seen a movie with a helicopter crash, he probably believes that's what they do. Just make sure you keep coming back - I can't offer more than that.

[SandBlaster-214]

Along with the others, who knows where or why they get these "phobias" about certain things. My kid, who is now 18, doesn't have a fear of anything except spiders and scorpions (she'll mess with snakes all day long). She's flown helicopters with me since she was two and is currently taking fixed-wing flight instruction. The instructor claims he cannot do anything to scare her. She drives 90 or nuthin' wherever she goes but, let her see a spider or a scorpion and, Katie bar the door, she'll slap knock ya down tryin' to get away from it. Let her see one in the linen closet and she'll rip the sheets off her bed checkin' before climbin' in.

A friend of mine whose daddy owns and flies his own starched-wing refuses to fly with him because he's afraid of 'em but, he'll ride any helicopter with me- go figger.

You may just have to accept it - there may be no "reasoning" to it. I've come in with tarantulas and black widows crawling across my arms, picked up whatever we've found in the house, played with the scorpions, all in an attempt to disprove her fear. She simply tells me if I want to ****-around and get bit, go ahead - she knows the number to 911.

Maybe when he gets older and is able to learn and understand the principles and mechanics of the things he'll change his mind. You can only hope. Anyway..., Best of luck

[Genghis the Engineer]

My first ever flight was when I was aged 7, going on holiday with my parents. Having seen far too much about crashes on TV, I recall sitting down specifically thinking "so, I'm going to die" - but having great faith in my parents, my 7 year old mind didn't trouble about this unduly.

Mind you, it was a Comet, so I may have had a point!


Which is of no help to you at-all; being more helpful perhaps you could once in a while take your son to an aircraft museum or airfield occasionally - no mention of your own flying, just to see and watch, and associate it with fun, rather than something bad.

And ration the TV, rots the mind! especially at that age.

G

[GLSNightPilot]

she knows the number to 911

Hmmm, what is that number? :rolleyes:

[RobboRider]

Don't try to be psych smart about it - just don't tell him.

[SandBlaster-214]

I'll have to wait to axe her - she's sleepin' right now GLS. :hmm:

[John Abersynth]

DONT TELL HIM!!!! H'es only 5 !!!!