The emotional specters that appear are different for each parent.

Disappointment in ourselves or in our children.

We become fully dedicated to seeing that life goes well for our child

Matter of fact, fear is one of the most difficult emotions to dissolve — it’s an unwanted and rowdy intruder, stealing our energy and shrouding our joy.

“My child is in danger.” There are, of course, occasions of danger for children.

Children make many attempts to rid themselves of fear, once they realize that they have survived a scary incident, and all is well.

We did manage our fears, more or less, until we had our own baby in our arms. Our child reminds us of what it was like to be small and vulnerable. Sometimes, they threatened us with isolation or harsh treatment. We had to swallow our fears and manage them somehow.

Our emotional memory is rocked by the love we have for our babies and children. And in the upheaval, our stored fears come out of hiding.

We don’t feel like this is our own story, projected onto the screen of our child’s days and nights. We feel that the fears we have are about our child, and about the present situation. Fear is very convincing that way.

But sooner or later, we find ourselves rocked by emotions. Fear of losing our precious child. Disappointment in ourselves or in our children. Fear of having ones own life crowded out by the life of this little one. The emotional specters that appear are different for each parent. Handling this unexpected tide of parental fears is the biggest untold challenge of parenting.