My kids and I flew from Reno to Ft Myers, Florida many years ago. It was the first time they'd ever been in a plane, and my daughter was 8 and my son was 5. They looked nervous the first time the plane jolted in mid-air, but I just told them it was "bumpy air", and from then on, they thought it was a roller-coaster! Scared me practically to death; they were laughing! Perspective is everything... :)
By the way, I know everyone says that you're more likely to die on the way to airport than in the air, but all that does is make me more afraid of *driving* and does nothing to alleviate my flying anxiety! It's sad, because I used to *love* to fly. Taking off was my favorite part. Now cruising at 30,000 feet is my favorite part, because as any pilot will tell you, altitude is a *good* thing as it gives more time to recover from a problem. This assumes the problem can be fixed, of course.
Good luck with this. It's a tough issue. I still don't like to fly, but since my father lives in Florida and I'm in California, I'm sure I'll be taking more airline trips!