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Originally Posted by Calavera
If you could private message me your message to him about his fear and why he shouldn't be afraid of you, and a picture of yourself out of makeup so I could show him when he comes back over to my place this weekend, that would help a lot.
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Sure thing.
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On the topic of my brother, if you were the clown at the spring festival, how would you have handled that situation of a frightened child?
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I forget (if you mentioned), how old was he at the time?
Generally, when I encounter a child who seems fearful or reserved I do one of two things:
A) Get down to the child's level (literally on the floor, if necessary), soften my voice as much as possible, and invite them to play somehow (by offering a juggling ball, scarf, feather... complimenting them on something they are wearing, perhaps.) Basically, I'm trying to break down the barrier by placing myself in a situation where they can feel more comfortable and either choose to reach out and accept the invitation to play on their own or not. Sometimes (most frequently, actually, I find) this works to win them over.
B) Back off and get out of there. If it is clear at any point that the child is not ready to play, is overly fearful, hides behind a parent, or even cries I lower my voice and say something like, "That's alright. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want," while backing away and discretely removing myself from the direct situation. Again, I'm trying to soften the approach and not push so that any fear which may exist can be removed and the child feels somehow empowered over the situation.