My daughter is 6 years old and lately I have noticed that she worries more than the average child. For instance, she'll ask things about her health and then follow it up with, "can a person die from that?" I find myself reassuring her a lot and I'm not sure if it's because she's an anxious child or if it's just her being 6. I have also noticed odd behavior like she won't step on the tile floor after getting out of the tub. She'll step on the bathmat and literally jump from the mat to the carpeted floor of her bedroom (2 foot distance). She does this after EVERY bath. I asked her why she does it and she replied, "I don't know, I just don't like touching the floor". It seems a little OCD-ish (that's what I have) but again, I don't know if I'm reading into it or not. Other than those noticable things, she's a very bright and active child. I know OCD/anxiety can be hereditary but can it also be a learned behavior? I ask b/c my husband always reminds me to be aware of my own anxiety when I'm around the children since they can easily pick up on things. Can anyone relate to any of this? Please share your experiences. Thanks!

I believe that I passed anxiety & o.c.d. on to my 21 yr old daughter. I think that your daughter is young enough that you can help her change these things tho. Especially since youre helping yourself. My daughter has made comment to me that she is the way she is because if me. I beleiev we can change these things tho.

Thanks achildofthefather. I'm hoping that if this IS the beginning of OCD for my daughter that I can reinforce positive thoughts through cause and effect. I would really like to tackle it now than to wait until it's interfering with her functioning. When your daughter was younger, did you notice OCD behavior or did it "show up" once she was an adult?

Mson is five years old and I had noticed some strange behavior in him as well. Everytime we go to the store he asks if it's going to close on us or not. And if the lights do start to go out while we are there he freaks out like nothing that I have ever seen before. He's extremely nervous and seems to just be a little different than my other two girls. But yes I believe that with positive reinforcement we can change our children now. Just correct what we see them doing wrong. This is just my opinion.

My daughter is thirty something and has confessed that she too has a lot of my anxiety tendencies. I remember that my mother was afraid of deep water and escalators and took Valium prn. I became Agoraphobic with Panic Attacks. It seems to me that each generation gets some form of this fear factor. We can stop it now by getting ourselves together with this Program and teach the tools to our children don't you think?.

Children are such a Gift, they are wonderful and innocent and honest.
The are also like sponges, they watch and listen and feel everything a parent does at times.
Having anxiety, for me personally, i dont think we pass it down. But i do beleive if our children see our fears and reactions to those fears, they to can "learn " this behaviour.
Trust me, kids know when your scared, or nervous or afraid of something. They look up to us, and when we fear, they feel it, and i trully beleive sometimes their little minds think well mommy is scared, so it must be bad, and i should be scared to.
My kids werent afraid of anything, till i was struck with panic attacks and anxiety.
Slowly as my fears grew, the more fears they created for themselves. I didnt realize at the time, they were just feeling and acting like i was. I thought i was hiding it pretty well.
But, i and none of us hide anxiety well.
I can go to the mall, and set and watch people and figure out who has anxiety and who doesnt now. Becuase i had it sooooooooo long.
So, as begin to take more steps to overcome your fears, they will also feel that, and become more confident in themselves, by watching you, seeing that mommy is no longer afraid of this and that... And react accordingly.
This is only my opinion,, but i trully beleive this... take care Nelly

"Mello Nello" I'd have to agree with you!! Great post!!

I wonder if my son and daughter will have this curse. I hope not. I'm not sure why I was graced with Manic depression and panic attacks but I am sure that I don't like it.
I just always hated being labled as "CraZy" or mentely chalenged or whatever.
I can not wait to get farther along with the series. So far I feel that I am "finaly" in the right place. And hope to be able to better equip my kids for what lies ahead.
Best of luck to ALL of us
LW

Hi everyone, well, I'm new to this. Haven't even received my cd's yet. Looking through some of these posts/forum topics to help myself understand that others are going through the same thing as me.
I have a precious 2 year old little girl. I get emotional because I see that she exhibits a lot of frustration. Impatience, screaming, nervous gestures. Trying to see if anyone else has noticed that with their children. I told her doc about it, but she said it was normal. I am going through even more frustration/anxiety/depression in an unhappy marriage, could this affect her? (I'm sure it does...) HELP! I wear my heart on my sleeve!

BetPon,
Hi and welcome. I think you are on the right path to have ordered the program. I cannot answer part of your question because I am not a parent. But I wanted to respond to you because I know that is is a little disappointing to post and have no response.

I may not be a parent, but I am the child of an very good woman, good mother whom I am beginnig to understand is and was always riddled with anxieties and fears, actually paranoia, that was passed on to me. I seemed to have been more affected than my younger brother, but we both struggle with depression now. I had never thought of myself as anxious, but this program is helping me learn that anxiety is at least some of the problem.

Like Mello Nello said, children are like sponges. Your daughter is able to pick up on your moods and attitudes and reactions to situations. I wish you all the best with the CD's once they arrive and I hope they help you as much as they are helping me.

You're doing the right thing. It's going to be hard work and I hope your husband will be supportive. And you've got all of us here on this forum for support too. We're pulling for you!!!

Hi Valwufl, thanks so much for being so considerate. I am hoping to receive them soon. As I reply I am also listening to online testimonies of those whom this program has freed. I cannot wait to start!
Again, thank you for sharing and I will try to be more conscious of my little gal when my moods get the best of me.

I am almost certain that it is possible to pass on the anxiety and depression to our children. They grow up seeing certain behaviors and responses. They learn a lot from their parents and what goes on at home. Their environment has a tremendous effect on them. I have three children and they all have some form of anxiety and depression. I can't say that one is worse than the others, but they each show their anxiety in different ways. I am sure that I got some of my anxiety/depression problems from my parents. My mom is the biggest worrier there is. It took a lot for me to change my way of thinking to get away from worrying.

For my children, I try, now to show them a different way to live and give them responses that would help them see a different point of view from and anxious one.

Take care.

Very bummed this morning. I spoke with my mother about wanting a divorce, ordering the CD's and starting the program. I acknowledged that i have a problem with negative thinking, anxiety, depression and stress. After saying all that, she tells me "just think positive". Like it's so freakin' easy! ARRRRG! I get so mad when she says stuff like that. AND she doesn't even realize that she was the VERY first NEGATIVE influence in my life!!! I don't want to blame her for it, she was doind the best she could, trying to help me in life, but yet passing on many of her fears and reactions to situations. It really ticks me off when she can't even see how much of a negative influence she herself was! And now she has the nerve to say, "perk up" when I'm down, or "just think positive" when I'm dealing with an unhappy marriage? I feel like a failure. Like this program is NEVER going to help ME! Thanks to that reaction of hers I now feel like I don't even want to OPEN the package once it arrives!
How do you all cope with people giving you advice when they don't even realize themselves how negative they are? Or just people who know nothing about what WE go through each and everyday! I am really hopeless today...

BetPon,
Im so sorry your mother doesnt realize what you are going through. Most family members dont, unless they have been through it. They dont understand, its not just having a bad day, its constant.
The only one who really tried was my husband to understand. My family knew,, but i never discussed it with them because, like you, i didnt want to hear the "Just Get Over It".
This Program will help you immensely.. It has Me. It touches on every aspect of your life.. Thinking, Health, Diet, excercise, Expectations, etc.. Try to stay away from negative people if you can. Now thats not to say , dont talk to your mother,, just maybe dont try to make her understand, because, you probably wont do that.
I wish you the BEST,,, Nelly

Hi Nelli,
Thanks so much for that! Sometimes I feel, and I'm sure everyone going through it, feels that they are so alone in dealing with this problem. But I'll take your words to heart and will try to follow the program to a T.
Hugs!!!