Is hypochondria hereditary?

I would imagine that since depression and other mental disorders run in families so would hypochondria.

Is she otherwise easygoing? Is she also concerned about your health? I think six year old's typically become fixated on health, theirs and yours, with a particular worry about your possible death.

She isn't extremely easygoing, pretty stubborn little, but I guess not so extreme for a 6 year old. She only seems concerned about my health or possible death when I mentioned something about being old and she was concerned that I would get old and die.

Perhaps it is just normal at that age that a minor scrape is something major - believe me the least little bit of blood and it is like - oh no I'm bleeding! Or maybe she just tries to milk whatever she can. It was funny - one day when she was acting this way and my brother was over - he made a comment about her being like our dad.

I have no medical proof one way or another, but I would tend to think it a learned behavior.

Bear tends to over-react to things, though he doesn't go to the doctor over every little ailment. A stubbed toe by me gets an under my breath "OMG! Dang, that hurt!" While the same by Bear results in yelling as if a limb has been severed.

Youngest tried over-reacting early on. I calmly looked at the cut/ bruise/booboo and gave it a kiss or cleaned it up and told him he was as good as new, sending him off to play again. Seem to have nipped that one fairly quickly.

Daughter will occasionally ask about an ailment and if I think it is serious. I ask a few questions and determine if it requires a doctor visit. If so, we go. If not, I ask her to keep track of changes and ask her about it again the next day. Hers has been a more recent thing, and likely due to depression and a need for me to show concern / mothering like when she was smaller. Teen years are so miserable! Can't blame her for not wantng to grow up, really.

Anyway, my short answer is that it is likey learned / environmental rather than hereditary, IMO. I'd try to stay calm and take opportunities that come along that can teach her to listen to her body for real illnesses or needs like low energy, tiredness or low grade headches indicating she may need iron. Or getting cranky means she needs some rest. Start with little things he can understand.

Oh and always kiss a booboo so she knows you are sorry she got hurt.

Funny squinney I do those things - kiss a boo-boo and then it should be over. It works like a charm for my 2 year old. I kiss it and say is it better and she always says yes. Cute is that she does the same for me.

The six year old is a different story. Everything is a major boo-boo - kisses do not work. Either she is just very dramatic (quite possible) or she is vying for extra attention (also quite possible).

The other funny thing is for the 2 year old - all the things you read about in child rearing and stuff, like when they misbehave - distracting, giving choices all that sort of stuff, works just like books and all the typical doctor advice says. For the 6 year old it is rare that stuff works. She is definitely made from a different mold - maybe that is what makes her so special (frustrating at times, but still special).

Maybe she's just the more sensitive of the two. My oldest was the type that could feel the seams on her socks and the tags on her shirts as well as every bump and bruise while the younger one didn't notice that sock had seams, shirts had tags or most of her bumps and bruises. She was more like the bumper ball in a pin-ball machine, bouncing from one thing to the other. The more sensitive one felt (and still feels) everything very deeply.

I would say it's probably a learned behaviour...
Just because of the number of personality traits I've picked up from my mum
But then I don't know how much time your dad spends with your daughter - enough for her to learn this kind of behaviour?

That could very well be J-B. Just this morning she is adjusting and fussing over her sox because they were bothering her.

Oh Bekaboo - she spends 2 days a week with grampy now and before school she was with them 5 days a week so she could easily pick up these traits. Luckily the little one has not.