safety vs fear

Katherine is curious, smart and has quite an imagination. Several times in the last few weeks, there have been situations and questions that I have not quite known how to answer.

When climbing a tree in our front yard, Katherine saw some ants. I told her to be careful because ants can bite. We talked about ants and how to avoid ant piles. She was then scared to walk on the sidewalk where there were a few ants even though she had shoes on. I tried to reassure her that if she was careful ants are not a problem. That night and the next day she would get a sad look or even cry a little and tell me that "I am sad because I am thinking about ants."

Another situation was yesterday when Katherine was on her bed and said she was scared because she was thinking about fire and that she did not want there to be a fire. We had a long discussion about what she should do if there was a fire. I told her about how she should not hide so that mommy, daddy or a fireman could find her. I told her how to crawl on the floor so that she would not breathe smoke. We discussed how mommy and daddy would look for her and come get her if there was a fire. We tested the fire detectors so she would know what they sound like. She had fun crawling from her room to the den to the back door. But, later she said she was scared of if there would be a fire.

Several months ago we started cautioning her about strangers and she knows that sometimes people take kids.

So, I wonder what the best way to teach my kids safety in situations without causing them to be afraid. I think it is important for her to know what to do but what is age appropriate. If any other parents out there have any suggestions or ideas you have used with your children, I would love to hear them.