Every caregiver's instinct is to protect a child from what frightens them — but with anxiety, that instinct can quietly make things worse. This practical, widely used guide from the Child Mind Institute distills clinical best practice into concrete do's and don'ts for parents. The core idea: the goal isn't to eliminate a child's anxiety, but to help them tolerate it and function anyway — because that's what makes the anxiety shrink over time. It's the kind of accessible, everyday strategy piece that makes the Knowledge Commons genuinely useful to families.

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WHAT TO DO (AND NOT DO) WHEN CHILDREN ARE ANXIOUS