monsters in the dark
I really thought she had grown out of being afraid of the dark but the last few nights she’s been terrible! She’s been so worked up about the shaddows making scary shapes and so on that she’s given herself bad dreams then ending up coming in to me and giving ME a total lack of dreams!!! It’s hard to sleep when you have a 7 year old taking up one half of the bed and a husband taking up the other half and you in a wafer thin bit of space inbetween two snoring, wriggling forms….thankfully she only stays about an hour but still, an hour is a long time when you are being snored at in stereo!
I’m a bit at a loss for what to do. Is it normal to still be afraid of the darkness inside a nice safe house when you are 7? Have I inadvertently traumatised her as a toddler by insisting she slept in the dark so her eyes got a proper rest (seems that study has since been discredited, it doesn’t cause eye problems if you never sleep in the dark after all)? Is she just a big wuss? Is she doing it for a good excuse for a middle of the night cuddle? Will I ever get an undisturbed nights sleep ever again????? Sigh, life was so much easier pre-child you know. Boring, but easy!
go for a nightlight and have her make shadow pictures herself? I don’t know about normal, think Big was still has bad nights every once in a while, though it isn’t usually about darkness. Small is just moving into that, which is less than amusing.
Comment by Jax — September 6, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
I don’t think it’s abnormal at this age. Can’t you just go and get into her bed when she’s in yours? That’s what I do!
Comment by Joanna — September 6, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
If one of our girls has a bad dream she can come into our room with her duvet and go to sleep on the floor but they’re not allowed into our bed. Harsh, I know
but it seems to work.
Comment by Jan — September 6, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
C had a bad dream night before last. (apparently - M dealt with it and I slept through the whole thing). She is comforted, has a toilet visit as we’ve told her a bad dream is her body’s way of waking her up for a wee, and put back in her bed with the tape player (Paddington) back on.
She doesn’t like being in our bed in the summer as she gets too hot.
Comment by michelle — September 7, 2008 @ 9:25 am
I also don’t countenace being afraid of the dark - and in the middle of the night she does have to go back to sleep in total darkness but when going to sleep she likes the hall light on.
Comment by michelle — September 7, 2008 @ 9:27 am