Quite often you can hear from a child: “Mom, I don’t want to go there, it's dark there”? When asked about the reason for his fear, he replies that he is afraid, suddenly ghosts or monsters are hiding in the room. But if you think about it ...
These seemingly little things of early childhood in adulthood will manifest themselves in phobias, and can make a person’s normal existence very difficult.
Causes
There are many reasons. Unable to clearly see in a dark room, they include the imagination, which helpfully palm off on them the images of monsters and ghosts. And these images are introduced into their consciousness through movies and cartoons that they watch during the day. Reading scary books and scary stories makes a huge contribution to creating a scary picture in children's minds. While you are next to the child, fear does not appear outside, but as soon as you leave and turn off the light, it is right there.
Some parents may specifically instill a fear of darkness in young children. They do this because they see no other way to get the children to do something, in their opinion, necessary. A common example is when parents say that they will call a creature from the dark if the child does not eat a plate of porridge, or that they will lock the child in a dark room if he does not want to fulfill the wishes of the parents.
Sometimes parents can tell children terrible stories about creatures hiding in the dark when they do not want them to go far in an unfamiliar place.Such periodically repeated “lessons”, although partially and not intentionally by the parents, introduce into the child’s mind the idea that in the dark there is something to be afraid of.
The consequences of the fear of the dark
If nothing is done, fear of the dark can develop and deeply root in children. They may have an attack of paranoia or hysteria if they are left in the dark even for a little while. They can’t even perform such a simple action as going to the toilet on their own if one of the adults doesn’t go with them.
Children will be afraid to sleep alone in their room when the lights are off. If their fears are not given due importance, later in adulthood they can manifest themselves in the form of serious phobias. These phobias can bring them a lot of pain and difficulties in their adult life.
How to help your child stop being afraid of the dark?
First and foremost, you should never laugh at children's fears, make fun of a child in the face. Otherwise, he will no longer come to you with his problems and doubts in the future. There are many things that you, as parents, can do for your child to help him cope with the fear of the dark.
Teach your child, teaching is light
Do not stuff children with allegations that ghosts and monsters do not exist. Instead, sit next to him and lecture about it. Say that the things that are shown in movies and some cartoons are simply exaggerations, and they are far from reality.Explain to your child about the soul and body, that only the body can be visible and dressed in white fluttering clothes, and not the soul. Tell the children about fortitude, and how to use it to drive out images that do not exist in reality. Explain how a strong spirit can dispel all these illusions.
Teach Children Faith
If your family is religious, tell the children about the Almighty, tell how he watches over all living beings on Earth. Teach them to believe in the protection of God and pray every time they face fear. Nurture unshakable faith in children so that they always feel protected.
If necessary, teach children scripture verses and convince them of their power to destroy evil. Place the image of the deity in the room of your child, so that the baby has the feeling that God is always there, looks at him and protects him.
Set a night light in your child’s room
It is always a good way out of the situation with night fears - to install a nightlight in the child’s bedroom or a lamp with a dimer. So the child before going to bed will not be immersed in complete darkness, but will be able to make out furniture and other objects in the room. Adjust the lamp so that it does not shine too brightly and does not prevent the child from falling asleep.
Turn on soft soft music
If your child loves music, it will be helpful to include lullabies in his room while he falls asleep. This will convince the baby that he is not alone. Soon he will get used to such a regime and will quickly fall asleep as soon as he hears the same melody every night.
After a certain age, insist that the child sleep separately from you
Some parents cannot resist the request of the child when he wants to sleep with them, because he is afraid to sleep alone. This state of affairs must be changed, children must be encouraged to sleep alone, on their own. This will help to instill in them a sense of independence and the courage to face their fear face to face. The sooner the child is taught to sleep separately, the better. In the first few weeks you can stay with him until he falls asleep, but gradually you need to wean him. It is also very important not to approve the baby’s behavior if he wakes up at night and sneaks into his parents bedroom.
Reward your child for courage if he meets his fear face to face
If a child is trying to become brave and look his fears in the face, such attempts should be accepted and appreciated. Encourage him from time to time with small gifts. This will serve as a necessary incentive for the child, support him and convince him that he is on the right track.
Limit viewing of cruel and scary movies
Images created in childhood consciousness in early childhood rarely leave the child. This is why it is important to protect children from watching horror films and reading scary books. It contains images that later turn into nightmares for the child. Instead, encourage them to watch good films and cartoons, read good stories that have a positive meaning and that tell of high moral qualities.
To help your child cope with the fear of the dark, remember that very often parents themselves are to blame for creating and introducing fears into the minds of children. Even if this happens unintentionally and serves the good of the cause to force children to perform the desired action, these fears remain with the child, and affect the quality of his whole life.
These little fears in childhood, if they are not strangled in the bud, can turn into big phobias in later life. Therefore, the next time the child comes up to you and says that he is afraid of the dark, find some free time to wisely solve this problem. In the end, for each child, his parents are the smartest in the world and know everything.
