How do I help my anxious child feel secure without becoming overprotective myself?

This is the paradox at the heart of parenting: your child needs to know you're worried about them *and* that you trust them to be okay. When we overprotect, we accidentally send the message 'I don't think you can handle this.' Anxiety grows in that space. What helps instead is naming the fear out loud together. 'I notice you're worried about the sleepover. Tell me what scares you.' Then resist the urge to immediately solve it. Listen first. Sometimes just being witnessed is what calms the nervous system. Your steady presence matters more than your reassurance. Kids feel your anxiety too—maybe more than they feel yours words. If you find yourself catastrophizing, that's your work to do, not theirs. A therapist, a trusted friend, journaling—find what helps you stay grounded. Then, gradually, give your child small experiences of being uncomfortable and surviving it. That's how they build real confidence, not false certainty. What's one fear your child carries that you can sit with instead of fix?