5 Year Old Wasp Phobia

[LoveMyDaughterT]

My 5YO DD has this awful phobia to mainly wasps, but it’s anything that flies and some insects. She is worst with wasps.

She is about to start year 1 on the 4th September and her behaviour has been awful.

She has this blood curling scream whenever she sees a wasp, whether it be when we’re in the car with the windows shut and air con on and the wasp outside, one that is metres away, or whenever she sees one. I have tried everything I can think of. She’s even kicked when screaming when she sees one and has kicked me in process. If I’m driving and she’s screaming I can not concentrate so I have to pull over, even though the wasp is outside. She’s started to do it with the smallest flies. I have explained to her that they won’t hurt her and that they’re trying to find somewhere cool to be. My mum has even tried for me today. We were in Ikea and we were two tables away from a window where a fly was inside and she screamed so loud the whole Ikea restaurant heard (and you know how big some Ikea restaurants are). It’s so annoying and it really makes me angry when she screams like that. We were at a party start of August and one landed on her dress, she screamed so loud and some other children were laughing at her, it made me want to tell them children off but I didn’t.

I am a single parent in shared accommodation with other mums and their children (or who are pregnant) and they are getting really annoyed at my daughter screaming so loud when there’s the smallest fly. So they are starting to judge me, which is making me feel bad. I have a family support worker and I am going to see what she says too next week, but I just wanted to see if anyone had any advice or suggestions that have worked for themselves with their children.

I haven’t enjoyed this summer holidays. I took her to the beach and all she did was scream every 5 mins about a wasp. I can’t take her anywhere without worrying about her screaming.