[Celyn]

Hey Sam,

There’s nothing wrong with you….I know how you feel too, and I want children of my own one day and I want to be a teacher

I think it’s natural to feel overwhelmed with children, if you don’t have lots of experience with them, or if you haven’t had a lot of interaction with them. Children can be quite noisy, demanding, and full of life and energy. They also require a lot of supervision, which requires assertiveness on the adult’s part. If you haven’t spent lots of time with them, all of these things can be quite overwhelming.

I also know how you feel with regards to not knowing what to say to them. I guess it depends on their age. You don’t want to talk down to them, or treat them younger than they are, but at the same time, you don’t want to talk to them like you would with someone your own age.

I think the best thing to do, is to read up/watch videos/watch parents and see how they interact with children. Then perhaps try talking to a child one-on-one and see where it goes. Like any fear or anxiety, repeated exposure to what bothers you will help you to overcome this. Is it just children you have an issue with, or do feel overwhelmed in any situation where there are many people? In either case, take your time. You could spend 5 minutes with the children, and then take a break and retreat for a while. Then take a deep breath and try again.

Lastly, not all children are noisy and overwhelming. Some children prefer being quiet, and naturally, they would see you as another adult, so they may even have similar fears about you. I’m sure that having your own children one day will change how you feel about children in general. If it starts seriously bothering you, you could talk to a counsellor, as they can also help with difficulties involving children and interaction with others.

Take care