Child's flying phobia has family staying home
The actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton has a wonderful short film (available on YouTube), where he takes a fearful boy about your son's age on an airplane flight ("A Child's First Time Flying Story"). Watch this with your son. There are also flight-simulation games designed for children. Check them out.
The message to your son should be, "In order to go to fun and faraway places, we're going to fly in a plane. This was scary when you were younger and didn't understand how planes work. But we know you can do this, and we'll help you because we'll be with you the whole time."
Noise-cancelling headphones, deep-breathing techniques and a reassuring adult hand holding onto his will also help.
Dear Amy: My husband posts photos of our children on social media, but he never posts pictures of me. He doesn't even say that he is married to me on social media.
What do you think about this?
-- Worried
Dear Worried: I think it's time for you two to have a conversation.
Many people choose to leave their relationship status vague on social media. There can be legitimate reasons to do this, but your husband is including some immediate family members and excluding you.
His behavior on social media is a denial of a pretty basic fact about his life, and you should challenge him to explain it.
If there aren't any recent pictures of the two of you that he likes (he may use this as an excuse), dig into the archives and find a fun one from the early days.
Dear Amy: Responding to the letter from "Mom," whose manipulative and chronically underachieving daughter was "miraculously" admitted to her expensive dream college:
That mom has an "amazing" kid? I teach high school. I know plenty of amazing kids, and I'm not just talking grades. Community service. Outside work programs. Music and acting talents.
The problem is not just the kid here. Bravo for your answer.
-- Steve
Dear Steve: And bravo to you. "Amazing kids" get that way through the efforts of good parents and great teachers.
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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, LLC., 16650 Westgrove Dr., Suite 175, Addison, TX 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)
