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Just found out that my younger brother is an emeto too.( i am 47 he is 45) I was wondering if it runs in the family or did it it just happen.Seem to remember that we both were sick at the same time years ago on holiday when we were kids.We were both bad for nearly a week with it and pretty certain that triggered the phobia for me.
Kinda worried as my 12 year old son is showing emeto tendancies although he don't know how bad it scares me.
No one else in my family is at all weird about v* - in fact my father is a gastroenterologist, and my brother has a very weak stomach and no problem being s*.
From what I've heard, it's really easy for children of emetophobics to also develop emetophobia. It's kind of a monumental accomplishment for an emet to raise a child who is totally normal about v*. I hope your son overcomes these tendencies before they become a bigger thing!
I think that my mother had emet tendencies, because she was always warning me that I`d v if I ate too much etc.
I doubt if this is sort of thing is genetic, so I wouldn't have thought it "runs in the family" in the sense that blue eyes might.
However, I have seen on other sites that some (though probably not all) cases of emet turn out to be triggered by the person being sick when they were very young and, although they don't consciously remember it (it comes out in hypnotherapy), a nearby adult got really angry because they'd just washed that dress etc and so the phobia starts as being sick is seen to be "a bad thing" and something to be avoided.
Put that way, it's unfortunately all too easy to see how an emet parent could unwittingly "pass on" their phobia to their children by the way they freak out when one of them is ill, so making the child think that being sick is really bad and must be avoided at all costs.
Having said that, I doubt if the causality is that simple in every case, ie emet parent = 100% guaranteed emet child. If human psychology was that simple then every child in a given family would be identical in every facet of their behaviour and personality as they're all picking up the same cues from their parents and so all responding in the same way when in reality of course siblings can be as different from each other as chalk and cheese!
My mothers emet and I can vividly remember a time when I was 3 yrs old my older sister got sick and my mother was screaming for my father to come and look after her whilst I was in a total panic cos my mother was so upset! I dont know for certain if thats what triggered it in me but it seems likely to have played a part in it. On the other hand my sister isnt bothered in the least with v* and thankfully neither is my own daughter who is now 19 and didnt know anything about my fear of v* til 2 years ago when I explained how it affected me. I also brought her up on my own so had to deal with any illnesses cos there wasnt anyone else at home - I was determined that she would not suffer the way I do so I just acted as calmly as possible then later when I was alone Id go to pieces!!! I dont think its genetic but I do think events that happen in early childhood can affect you even though you're too young at the time to realise whats going on.
Im not sure but it seems like it could if you freakout in front of your child when they get sick, or if you freak out in front of them when you are sick. I dont mind babies, and children vomiting so I have vowed to myself that when I have kids and they get sick I will comfort them and say things such as "you did a good job" "see that wasnt so bad" " there is nothing to be afraid of" and "its ok to throw up, it makes you feel better" I think if you praise your child after they get sick they wont think of it negativly. Of course they will feel like they never want to do it again but they wont fear it. I would never wish this upon my children.
I have 3 boys. 15, 6 and 2 yrs old. The 15 yr old has not problem getting sick except he cant make it to the toilet. which completely freaks me out! He knows i am an emet and he has seen my reaction his whole life. It hasnt affected him. My 6 yr old has only v'd twice so far that has been traumatic. He got a sv when he was 3 that was AWFUL! and he couldnt completely recover for like a month. I think thats what sent him over the edge and now he is showing signs of emet. He got another sv that he caught from me but he only v'd once and he seemed to do ok with that. But i told him it was ok and that he did just fine. I had to clean up after him which totally freaked me out but at least i didnt let his fear take over him. Now my 2 yr old....i hope he is like the oldest one. I am going to do my best not to freak out around him.
So i dont think its genetic. I think it has A LOT to do with personalities, some people have addictive personalities and they become drug addicts, some people have obessive personalities and they become emets or OCD etcetra, then there are people with addictive personalities that can resist and redirect easily to avoid becoming drug addicts or alcoholics. You just never know, so if your kids become emet, dont beat yourself up about it. Do everything you can to help them through it and do the best you can.
My parents are not emet, but I have been since I was 6. Now my 6 year old seems to be emet and my 3 year old I am not sure of yet. In february we had a bad expeience with a sv* at my daughters 6th birthday and it was a huge set back for me. My 6 year old saw me fall to pieces. I couldn't help it, I totally freaked out. I don't think it is genetic but like jbsmom said about the personalities I think that is true. My 6 year old is just like me in every way, she was a very anxious child before the birthday party, so it just set her off, but I am to blame for how I reacted at the party and it really scared her.
I'm pretty certain my mom is emet. My dad's just always said "your mom really hates throwing up" and left it at that, but the way she acts/acted... I'm pretty sure. I felt horrible for her a few years ago she kept v* after a surgery. *I* was begging the nurse to give her more antiemetics because I knew how upset she was by the v*, but they wouldn't. They gave her zofran but it wasn't working, and didn't want to give her anything else because of the type of surgery and the way her blood pressure was reacting.. something like that. I forget.
My brother and sister are both emet to a degree, but not for themselves anymore, they're both like "I used to try not to, but now I just feel better if I do" which I'm like "Ughghghhh." My sister is a teacher, and she has said she freaks out about the kids getting sick in class (she teaches high school) and ships them off to the nurse if they say they feel sick, or tells them they can leave to go to the bathroom without raising their hand first if they feel sick. She's always afraid of one of them getting sick in her room.