“It is important for adults to reassure children that they are safe.”

That is a refrain I have heard many times (and found myself repeating) during this year of growing hardship for many Americans. But reassurance, however, well intended, can sometimes backfire and even increase children’s anxiety.

Reassurance certainly seems like the natural response to children during stressful times. After all, caregivers have powerful urges to protect young children, and we know that fear and anxiety, particularly from traumatic events, can adversely affect the architecture of the growing brain.