What worries children

I had an interesting discussion with a large group of children today. We spoke about worry bugs and how they can makes us feel sick. When I asked the children to draw their worry bugs I was surprised at the range of responses. As adults, we often think that children's worries are not as deep as ours or that they will grow out of it in time. But listening to some of their worries it struck me that we all need to take the time to truly listen to kids and not just hear them. Fears ranged from being left alone for a few minutes when younger, to feeling forgotten and mainly fear of being left out or alone.  Many of their worries centred around being connected to someone or feeling less isolated. These are fears that can often be addressed with calm listening and reassurance. After all, it's often the little worries that can develop into the big ones.