Easing Nighttime Fears

    A recent conversation with my four year old required all of the persuasive power I possess.  The topic was vampires.  He insisted they were real and I, of course, was adamant that they don’t exist. 

    As you may guess, this conversation happened at bed time.  I’ll admit that my patience isn’t exactly plentiful at that time of day, but I did my best.  He must have told me half a dozen times that his friend told him she saw a vampire.  I kindly reminded him that his friend was four and he really needed to trust me about the issue.  He seemed skeptical.

    We prayed, we talked, and we turned on the overhead light and the lamp.  The sound machine was on and I even resorted to “checking” the room for him. 

    “There are just toys, books, clothes, and your furniture,” I reassured him. 

     “And my mirror.  And my piggy bank,” he added.

     “Right,” I sighed ready to be finished with the whole bed time routine.

     In the end, I talked to him a bit more and reassured him that it was normal to be scared sometimes.  We talked about real and pretend and though I had to break the news to him that most superheroes aren’t real, he took it well.  It might have even helped him to start to believe in the nonexistence of vampires. 

    I had no choice but to stay, you know.  I could see the fear in his eyes.  I stayed until it subsided and then I gave him one more kiss on the forehead.

     How do you help your children when they are scared of things that go bump in the night?