A Dialogue with a Teacher

　　After the lesson was over, the mother of Hasan and Husayn went quickly to the teacher and thanked her for that knowledge, and asked her to give her some time to speak with her, and she welcomed the request.

　　The mother sat with the teacher and started to complain to her of the state of her children, Hasan and Husayn. She said,

　　"They never depend on themselves. I always help them in eating, drinking, studying and even bathing. Hasan feels afraid of going to the street to buy our household needs, and Husayn feels afraid to cross the street alone, and asks a passer-by to hold his hand (and help him do so). Hasan feels afraid to sleep in the dark and asks me not to switch off the light. Both fear the sea, and cannot swim without the help of a swimming float even though they have grown up. Hasan always feels afraid of the ball, and puts his hand in front of his face for fear that it would hit him in the face, and Husayn feels afraid of the train. Hasan feels afraid of his teacher in the class and is always absent from school for that reason. Both feel afraid of dogs, cats and insects. They only ever ride a tricycle.

　　When I heard you relating to us how brave the children of the Companions were, and, at the same time, looked at my children, I felt that they are cowardly and are not brave. What is the reason for that? What is the way to treat it?"

　　The teacher said, "No doubt, fear is innate in every human being, and it is beneficial to protect him from risks. However, this normal fear differs from the phobia your children are suffering from, which goes back to many things including:

　　· Non-educational books and magazines which relate imaginary stories about magic, Jinn, monsters, and so on. One of the books, which are a part of the elementary school curriculum, contains the following paragraph: "All of a sudden, he found in front of him a horrible cat, which scared the child when he heard it mewing with a fearful voice. The cat asked him, "How dare you come to this place? Do you not know that I have the power to tear your body into pieces with only a single strike of my paw?" We may also mention stories like the Hop o' My Thumb, ‘Alaa’ Ad-Deen (Aladin) and the Wonderful Lamp and so on.

　　· The father's domination over all the movements of the child, without giving him the freedom to think, which creates in him the fear of making a mistake.

　　· Over-indulging, and pampering children and excessive anxiety about them.

　　· To remain calm and balanced and refrain from fear, terror and apprehension in any situation in general, and particularly when the child is ill.

　　3- To remove the child's fear, by establishing a relationship between his fear stimulus and simulated pleasure. For example, if a child fears darkness and likes playing, you may play with him, and then switch off the light and continue to play with him in the darkness, and the second time, switch off the light for a short time before the beginning up to the end of play and so on until his fear of darkness is associated with the stimulus of pleasure and delight, thereupon his fear of darkness would gradually disappear. Likewise is the case with the one who fears a physician, by getting the physician present to him a sweet or play with him until his fear of him disappears.

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