Being squeamish.?

squidge60

My dd is squeamish and in science it is being a bit of an issue,(last week she was ok until a transplant was talked about).Thing is she is in the top grade and i dont want anything to hold her back ,anyone got any ideas at all please on how to control this

the_cat

My son was a bit like this. I used to walk him to school when he was around 8 - 9 yrs and if he saw some dog mess on the floor he would throw up!!!

TBH the only way is to get her used to it. Make her talk about the squeamish stuff at home. Watch things (operations) with her on tv. Buy some kidney and have her dissect it. Do it gradually but very regularly

If she makes a fuss, a dose of tough love (ie. tell her off, don't put up with 'babyish' behaviour and even if she doesn't want to, keep at it) is required. After a while she will get more used to it

FWIW my son was completely cured very quickly. He is now 14 and desperate to be a vet!

Toothsmith

I'd agree that you can only get over it by facing up to it.

I used to be quite squeamish, but once school science lessons kicked in, and I realised something medical would probably be what I did best, I got over it.

I wasn't looking forward to the medical dissection room, where we would be in the first year of the dental course, but as luck would have it, in the summer before I went to Uni, I found a dead body in a river, and pulled it to the side! (Not lucky for the person I suppose ) That got me over the uncertainty of what it would be like to come face to face with a dead person.

Don't let her lock the fear away, and she'll soon get over it.

squidge60

Thanks for the replys ,trouble is i need to get a grip .I get like it if to much talking is done about the body.So i am useless :rolleyes: but she has been saying for a long time she wants to be a vet,so somethings got to be done,or obviously thats not going to happen and i would hate to see that being the only thing to stop her.:(

Toothsmith

Get over it together then!

squidge60

Toothsmith wrote: »

Get over it together then!

um thanks have to give that one some thought :think::D

xxvickixx

I have a blood and needle phobia which was very bad at that age. Any disection or videos I would be excused and would go to the study room to work there. I still ended up with A* for science so didn't hold me back as I was able to learn the theory with my textbooks. I do agree with other posters that overcoming the fear is better than avoidance but either are better than her having a hard time in class.

skintbuthappy81

hmmmmmm I don't really have much advice but I am quite a squeamish person, I was very bad when I was in my teens, but last week I had to watch a 'live' post mortem, although I was petrified at the thought of it I wasn't actually that bad and I think I coped much better than I thought (I do still have the needle phobia though!) Your DD could tell the tutor about her 'fears' and maybe they could take it slowly from there and help her overcome it.

Toothsmith

Those 'live ' post mortems are the worst. The dead ones are bad enough!

squidge60

skintbuthappy81 wrote: »

hmmmmmm I don't really have much advice but I am quite a squeamish person, I was very bad when I was in my teens, but last week I had to watch a 'live' post mortem, although I was petrified at the thought of it I wasn't actually that bad and I think I coped much better than I thought (I do still have the needle phobia though!) Your DD could tell the tutor about her 'fears' and maybe they could take it slowly from there and help her overcome it.

I did think about the tutor thing,maybe see what dd thinks.:) A post mortem,phew dont know if i could cope with that,:eek: They remove everything dont they.?I can cope with a dead body,but being cut up.....

lostinrates

I am not particularly squeamish, but my first dissections at university were upsetting, because they reminded me of my own pets. By the end of the first semester I was begging to go with th lab techs to get extr specmins for myself: seeing how things work, undertanding that in knowing this I could be part of an improvement in understanding, was helpful.

I guess it depends how squeamish ''squeamish'' is! Things you could do at hme to tackle but indirectly so, might be helpful. Its no coincidence I can joint a bird to cook and prepare fish well. (this is also very MSE!)