FEAR does not stand for False Evidence Appearing Real. My conversation with a 12 years old.

My daughter and I were having a conversation yesterday. Her excitement was evident when she discussed how they had received a female motivational speaker in her school who had the goal of inspiring them to remain focused and driven in their academic pursuits. That was very pleasing to hear. ?In her story about the speaker, the speaker spoke about fear, and illustrated how fear can limit their ability to act, and the speaker told them the meaning of FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real.

This piqued my curiosity and made me worried. The fact is that my daughter and all her classmates consciously believed that fear is an acronym and wrote it down in their notes.?

Honestly, as a matter of clarity, the phrase "False Evidence Appearing Real" is an acronym used in various motivational and self-help contexts, and this should be clearly established from the point of usage. It illustrates that many fears don't actually stem from immediate danger, but rather from uncertainties, doubts, or misconceptions. In as much as I completely agree that this concept encourages people to re-evaluate their fears and approach them in a different way. But not an

However, I beg to differ on this point as FEAR is real. Do you agree?

Fear is a naturally occurring and important emotion. We are alerted to potential dangers by this trigger, which plays a crucial role in keeping us safe. Inadvertently simplifying a complex emotion to an acronym might lead to an oversimplified understanding. it might invalidate the real fear they feel, which is not always related to false evidence. This is my point.

In my response, this was how I approached this topic to clarify this to a 12 years old.

1. I started by acknowledging the positive aspects of the motivational speaker's presentation. Her intention was to encourage and inspire the students which is valuable.
2. I made her understand that fear is a natural and complex emotion. It's our body's response to potential danger, and it can help keep us safe. I made it it clear to her that not all fear is based on false evidence; sometimes, fear is a rational response to real threats. But fear is not an acronym.
3. I clarified the acronym "False Evidence Appearing Real" is a simplified way to describe some types of fears, particularly those that are more about worries or anxieties rather than immediate danger. These might include fears about the future or about things that are unlikely to happen.
4. We discussed different types of Fear. I needed her to understand the difference between irrational fears (like those based on false evidence or unlikely scenarios) and rational fears (like those based on real and immediate dangers). This helped her to understand that it's okay to feel fear and that it's a normal part of life.
5. This was a good opportunity to remind her about critical thinking, to think critically about what she hears and learns. It’s important for her to learn to question and analyse information, even from authoritative sources.

Taking time to ensure our children have a clear and balanced perspective on such a complex topic is very crucial.

I would like to hear your opinion on this topic and how you would have approached it.