When Reassurance Stops Working

You're sitting on the edge of your kid's bed, reassuring them for the tenth time — you're safe, it's okay, that won't happen — and it lands for about ninety seconds before the next question comes. Forty-five minutes in, they're more wound up than when you started, and you can't shake the question: why is this getting worse? In this episode: Why reassurance, past a certain point, feeds a child's anxiety instead of shrinking it Why a little anxiety is supposed to be there — and how attention becomes the water that floods it The full set of moves to use instead: prep them first, answer once and hold, expect the burst, stay present, name the feeling, redirect to a coping skill, and give the worry its own time The one catch that turns comfort into part of the loop You're not withholding love. You're changing what the love is aimed at. Resources mentioned: 📩 climbingfishparenting.com/newsletter