2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
What if a child sees monsters at night? Calls you several times at night?
What to do if the child does not sleep well due to fears?
How can you help your child cope with the fear of the dark?
Fear of the dark in children three to seven years old is common and normal. Therefore, you should not panic, but it is worth paying attention to the problem. The fear of the dark speaks of the correct development of the child. A child develops a fantasy at this age (3-7 years), also due to the fact that at this age he tries to do everything himself, selfhood and independence are formed - the first steps can cause increased anxiety in the child. And in order for this independence to be formed, the support and care of parents is necessary.
It can also mean that your child is missing your attention.
Here are some tips for what you can do to help your child:
- do not shame him for his fears;
- do not laugh at his fears and at the child;
- you should also not play along with the child, pretending that you also see monsters;
- put him to bed, calm him down as much as necessary, just be there when you need to, this can help restore a sense of security;
- leave the child turned on a night light or an open door to his room;
- you can also temporarily move his sleeping place to one of his relatives - to his parents, sisters, brothers, grandmothers, grandfathers;
- If possible, find out where these fears came from, what started the process - playing monsters, a scary cartoon or some kind of story, and try to fence him off from this;
- in the daytime, talk to your child about what scares him, let him tell what or who scares him the most.
Also, it is best to get rid of fears in creativity. For example, you might ask your child to draw their fears. Then let him tell you everything about him in detail. And then come up with some elements to add to this monster to make him funny or kind. For example, a monster can draw a mustache and funny shoes, a witch - bows in her hair and long stockings, like a first-grader, or skates, let her learn to skate. Let your child's fantasies play out, since he is afraid of the dark, then he has a good one, send it in the right direction.
If the child does not want to draw, you can do the same with similar stories. In the stories, you can come up with a whole story about how this monster lives (for example, he himself is afraid of people, because he is also small, or that he loves to "gulp" jam so much that he walks at night in search of jam, etc.) … The more a monster looks like an ordinary person or a child, the less it will cause terror and fear.
The most important thing here is to let the fantasy play out in full and help the child find a resource (that is, find ways to help himself with the help of fantasy).
You can also create, together with the child, another character who will protect him. It is desirable that the character comes from the inner world of the child, but if it is difficult for him, you can offer your own, but be sure to see if this image suited the child (whether his eyes lit up, whether he became interested in the character, etc.)
Remember that the child opens up to you with confidence. Show respect for him and his problem, even if the problem seems insignificant to you.
And, of course, as with any problem in the family, pay attention to how you personally contribute to the child's fears? What is the atmosphere in the house? Perhaps, as a mother or father, you yourself are very worried or anxious about something. The child very well "reads" any state of the parents.
You may have a lot of fights with your spouse. Then try to retire and, if possible, calmly discuss all the disagreements, work out a general strategy to help the child cope with his fears and, of course, clarify all the misunderstandings with each other. It is enough to speak to each other and hear each other, and, of course, the desire to fix everything.
Love each other, love your family, take care of each other and support each other as much as you can. After all, family and children are the most important thing we have!
Recommended:
Sleeping In The Same Bed With A Child: Is It Necessary?
Among many parents, the question of sleeping with a child in the same bed becomes relevant. Indeed, many parents of a couple with their babies do not see anything wrong with this. In the past, this phenomenon was very common, and not because parents wanted closeness with their child, but because there was simply no separate room, and even a bed.
We Are So Afraid That Death Will Take The Child From Us, That We Take His Life
Today I want to talk about something that is difficult and I don’t really want to think about. There is a shadow side to the desire to protect children and take care of them, about their safety, health, morality, and future. A session of black magic followed by exposure How else to describe the effect of the article in Novaya Gazeta, which shocked many Russian parents, about teenage suicides?
Mother And Child In One Bed
A child was born in a family … It so happens that this very child becomes a "function" in the context of marital relations, that is, those who support these relations (from the very first days). There can be many "functions"
I Am Afraid To Injure The Child What To Do?
Dangerous mom The phrase “psychological trauma” will surprise no one, and mothers do their best to protect their children from this. But if the danger is not in external distant factors, but much closer - in the mother herself? More precisely, in her reactions to a certain behavior of the child, for example, in the form of fiery anger, icy silence or a contemptuous look, etc.
Childhood Fears. What's Really Hiding Behind The Monsters Under The Bed?
Now I am especially often approached with requests for advice about children's fears, especially such as fear of the dark, monsters, ghosts, etc. Normally, these fears appear in every child at + - 4 years old. At this age, children begin to guess that not everything is eternal, people die, something can happen to their parents.
