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Each reassurance trains your child to overthink more—like "reps" in the overthinking gym.

The goal is not to teach your kids how to eliminate "what ifs."

Naming the pattern helps loosen the grip of overthinking.

Most parents think they are solving anxiety by answering each question thoroughly and carefully. But each reassurance becomes a "tiny rep" in the overthinking gym. The child's brain learns that uncertainty is dangerous and that someone else will resolve it for them.

For example, eight-year-old Josh at nighttime asks his mom, "What if there is a fire tonight?" His mom, Chloe, reassures Josh by emphasizing that they have smoke........

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