Karla's Preaching Pages

Fears of monsters, witches and ghosts

Fears of monsters, witches and ghosts reach a peak in the pre-school years. Most children will become anxious or fearful of loud noises or thunder, strangers, separation from parents, the dark, animals or storms at some point in very early childhood. Later they add a real fear of imaginary or unreal objects as well.

Especially around Halloween our children seem to have a greater need for reassurance.

It does not matter how unreasonable a fear seems to us, to your child it is very real and children need a place to express these fears openly and in safety.

That is why we avoid ridiculing, overprotecting, shaming, punishing or ignoring these fears.

Often the fears come when children are unprepared for what is coming. When children do not know what to expect they lose their sense of power and control. When special activities are coming such as a fire drill, a fieldtrip or trick-or-treating for Halloween it is wise and prudent to prepare our children by helping them understand what is coming through discussion and acting out the event.

At school we plan activities that allow children to express their feelings such as dictating stories, drawings, reading stories, singing and constructing "nightmares."

A little scariness at Halloween goes a long way and we should all respect and allow our children healthy limits on what they are prepared for. Soon they will be teenagers and have a great need for bravado and daring. But for now, let's keep our children right where they should be : full of need for reassurance that nothing bad is ever going to happen to them because You wont let it.

--Karla