Sunday, December 11, 2011

Help Your Child Overcome Irrational Nighttime Fears

By Harry Miller


While a fear of imaginary monsters may seem insignificant to grown ups, it can bring real stress and anxiety for a child and disturb his or her rest and well-being during the day. Among the numerous sleep problems kids and parents work through together at night is an irrational fear of imaginary monsters. While mothers and fathers obviously realize there are no such things as fantastic monsters hiding under the bed or dwelling in the bedroom closet, there is no amount of begging or conversation that can convince a scared little one that imaginary monsters do not exist.

Kids between the ages of 4 to 6 are attentive enough to know there are things in the world that are quite scary, but their ability to identify which are totally real and which are imaginary has not yet completely developed. There are 2 ways of thinking when it comes to dealing with children and their fearfulness of monsters. One philosophy states that moms and dads shouldn't give in to a child's imagination and should instead work to reassure the kid that monsters really don't exist. Although this method may work for older kids who have some practical experience with intellectual reasoning, it will be much more challenging for less mature kids to fully grasp.

Continuously suggesting to a child that his or her concerns are unfounded can really undercut your child's confidence. If you belittle your child's concerns then you are essentially saying their feelings do not matter. Likewise, if you begin to tell your little one that unreal things do no exist then he or she may begin to question other tenants of childhood such as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

Many child psychology specialists advocate that you should instead indulge your little one in the belief of fictional monsters within boundaries. Assure your son or daughter that you will not permit any scary monsters to stay in your home or hurt your child in in any manner. One strategy that has proved helpful for a lot of mothers and fathers is employing some sort of imaginary tool to scare away the imaginary monsters. Some adults use monster spray, other use imaginary secret words and even others have used night lights that are designed to scare away those scary monsters. No matter what method you use, it is crucial that treat your son's or daughter's fear seriously and not just ignore it. If your child is especially smart you may want to try a more modern solution for your iPhone with an app designed to scare away monsters.

It is your duty as a parent or guardian to help your child to overcome those anxieties and get a good night's sleep. However you work with your child to get over his or her irrational fear of scary creatures, remember that even though it seems trivial to you it is a very real concern for your son or daughter. Kids who are suddenly scared of imaginary things may be spending too much time watching inappropriate television programs, playing video games that are too mature for them or they may have a worrying situation at home or school. It is essential for parents and guardians to talk with their kids to try to identify the issue. Abrupt behavioral issues, mood swings and short tempers could all be the signs of a deficiency of sleep caused by worry and dread.




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