Fear of Bugs

[gcan]

we have a Webelo who (occasionally) freaks out over just the thought of bugs. The fear seems very real... except when there is something he reeeeeally wants to do and he has to pass a bug to do it.

 

It seems as though if he is given the chance to think about it, and mull it over, he gets really upset. But if we distract him, or make the benefits of passing a bug outweigh the benefits of staying behind, he usually will be able to do it.

I think it's important that we don't let the other boys ridicule him, we just treat it like a fact (ie boy 1 can't swim. so we work around it. Boy 2 can't read well. we deal.) But we also don't cater to him, you know? We give him the choice- stay on the trail by yourself, or come with the boys to the turtle bog. We don't force him to walk thru a spider web, but we also don't 'shelter' him- we taught him to walk with a stick in front of him to catch the webs first.

 

Beyond that, it's really a day-to-day thing with him. Any thing that has worked for anyone else would be greatly appreciated!

[Gold Winger]

"we have a Webelo who (occasionally) freaks out over just the thought of bugs."

 

What's a "Webelo"?

[jgeller93]

I sugjest the Insect Study Merit Badge.

 

It helped with one boy in our troop, he went from bug phobic to fanatic.