Fear - Interview with a Feelings Expert

In this episode of How Are You Feeling Today?, Alex is joined by a very special guest and feelings expert - his son, Baylor.

Together they talk about what it’s like for kids to notice, name, and share their feelings. Alex and Baylor talk specifically about fear and what children need when they feel fear. This episode offers a child’s perspective on feelings and reminds us that learning to talk about feelings doesn’t have to be complicated and can begin with simple honest conversations at home. 

This episode is a great opportunity for kids and parents to listen together and practice asking one important question:

How are you feeling today?

Resources, activities, and discussion tools for families are available at:
 🌱 howareyoufeelingtoday.net

Learn more about counseling and family resources at:
 🌿 vothcenter.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Good day everybody. This is Alex Currington coming to you from the Voice of the Heart Center. Welcome to the How Are You Feeling Today podcast? A podcast for kids and parents who have feelings. I'm really glad you're joining me today. Today I have a really special guest joining me again for this episode on the feeling of fear. And his name is Baylor. Baylor. Good. I'm so glad you're here. Let everybody know who is your daddy?

unknown 0:42

Alex Carrington.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Oh, Alex Carrington. That's me. This is my youngest son, Baylor Mack. And Baylor, tell everybody how old you are.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Four.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Four years old. Every time we're together, we'll check in on one very important question. How are you feeling today? Take just a moment, look into your heart, and answer the question Am I feeling anger, fear, hurt, sad, lonely, shame, guilt, or glad? If you have someone in the room with you that you can share it with, look at them and name all the feelings that you have right now. If you're listening to this alone, think for a moment to yourself, who could I share this with today? Baylor, how are you feeling today?

SPEAKER_01 1:36

And a little bit sad. A lot of uh aside.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Okay, what are you excited about today?

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Being here with Daddy.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Being here with me, I'm so glad to have you on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Daddy, what you're feeling?

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Really glad that you're here. I'm feeling fear and anger. I've got a fun fact for you today about feelings. Do you know how many bones are in your body? I want you to take a guess. How many bones do you think are in your body?

SPEAKER_01 2:11

100.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

100 bones. Did you know babies are actually born with 270 bones in their body? Adults have about 206.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

What?

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Yeah, babies have 270 bones.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

What? 10.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Kids? Kids have somewhere between 270 bones and 206. And just like we have a certain amount of bones in our body, we only have a certain amount of feelings. Do you know how many feelings we have?

SPEAKER_01 2:42

10.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

10, not ten. Guess again. Two, guess again.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Three.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

We have eight feelings. Eight core feelings. Anger, fear, hurt, sad, lonely, shame, guilt, and glad. And the feeling that we're talking about today is fear. Fear is a feeling that alerts us to danger. And in our story, Kai felt a lot of fear. Now let's talk about Kai for a second. Baylor, what kind of animal is Kai?

SPEAKER_01 3:20

A tiger.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Do you like tigers?

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

What's your favorite animal?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Um, all trains of types. Teddy cats. And um home teddy cats.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Home kitty cats.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

And more titty cats.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

I love how much you love cats, and Kai is a tiger, which is the largest cat in the animal kingdom. Male tigers can even weigh up to 660 pounds. So I want you to go back to the moment that Kai woke up and saw all that fog. What do you think Kai was afraid of?

SPEAKER_01 4:02

That has him can't see better.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

What are some things you're scared of?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Um, definitely scary parts of a movie.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

What else are you scared of?

SPEAKER_01 4:15

Thunder.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Thunder?

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Really loud and lightning when it frights and head round, me it hears it, and I'm a little bit scared.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

What do you do when you feel scared?

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Um run to mom.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Baylor, that's a great answer. Sometimes we need comfort from someone who loves us and cares about us when we're feeling afraid. We may also need to ask someone for help or learn more about what brings up fear and what you can do about it. Fear is a feeling that alerts us to danger. It tells us I might not be safe. Fear is not weakness, it's protection. And when we can name our fear, we don't have to carry it alone. If you're listening with someone right now, you might want to answer Baylor's questions too. When do you feel fear? And what helps you when you feel afraid? Baylor, thank you for being brave and sharing the truth of your heart with us today.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

This has been the Howard Fill It a Day Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

A podcast for kids and parents who have feel it. Thank you for sharing your heart, and until next time, take part.