Ever feel like you just want to hide?
Switch off the phones, close the curtains and ignore the doorbell.
I wish I could, just for one day. But I know, if I do it for one day I might want to keep doing it, so on we go.
Anyhoo.
Daniel hasn’t been wanting to go to sleep by himself and sleep by himself for ages now and hubby finally got upset on Monday night. He never gets upset, he is so calm usually that I have to check him for a pulse every now and again. I think it is also because it is getting progressively worse.
It seems to be worse on school nights so, I chatted to his teacher yesterday and we tried to figure out if there could be something at school upsetting him. He is always happy to go to school and interacts very well with hismates and the teachers, so we are all baffled at this. So we decided on a plan. Because you always need a plan.
They were going to discuss sleeping in group time at school and we were going to chat to him last night. So, over supper, after a marathon puzzle building session, we asked him why he didn’t want to sleep by himself. Spider he says. He is scared of the big spider in his room. So we promised to look for the spider at bedtime and made a big thing about it, looking everywhere for the spider and making sure he understood that there was no spider. And then asked him if he was happy there is no spider, which he agreed to and seemed happy about.
And then he still woke up twice during the night, crying.
I will talk to the teacher again today, but would like some suggestions and thoughts please!
I know this is a phase, but I’m not sure how to move on from here and just can’t let it carry on either..
Thank goodness you and the teacher are working together. *Sterkte*
Does he have a night light? I found this helped when mine developed some fears. I aslo assigned special duty to his one stuffed toy dog as guard dog to chase monsters. Fairy dust in a protective circle around his bed or even a dream catcher. Some times they just need something physical to make them feel safe.
We always have a ‘plan’ too! Never works though.
I hate to say it’s just a phase, but Tristan also went through something similar. He was scared of his reflection and refused to sleep in his room at night. Also woke up crying, and had to be brought to our bed. Until hubby lost it, then I ended up sleeping in HIS bed! If I remember correctly, it lasted about 3 months! And nothing would console him during this phase.
Good luck – I’ll be checking back to see if anyone else has pearls of wisdom, because Connor’s getting to that age too!
You know what worked for us, wolf under the bed, a spray bottle marked Wolf Chasing Spray and filled with water with a little Citronella oil in it, they don’t fall for water only!
I kept it in Jessica’s room and sprayed under the bed every night and anywhere else she felt necessary and left it next to her bed. If she was scared at all she would just spray one spray on the carpet and she felt better! Hope that helps little Daniel. I think it works because they feel in control with the spray bottle. xx
Give him a can of Doom to zap the spider himself if he sees it at night(worked with one of mine) she couldn’t actually squirt the can but made the sound herself as she ‘squirted the spider’
Thanks Adele!
He does have a night light, but will try the guard dogs, fairy dust and dream catcher, thanks! You always have really cool ideas!
I hear you on the crying. He is inconsolable!
Great idea, will add to my lovely list!
Sweet man, thanks for the suggestion!
My son went through a LONG period of this. The monster spray idea of Shazzie worked for a while. Best so far was the Dream Catcher. Bought it over the holidays and no bad dreams or monsters since! It took a while to find the right spot. Ask him where the spiders come from and hang it there.
We did the monster spray thing. Coloured plastic bottle bought for a few rand at the Crazy Store. D drew the scary monster on a label that we stuck on with a big red cross. Even had a chant: “Monster, monster go away Or I’ll squirt you with my spray.” and a whole nightly monster hunt and spray under beds, in cupboards, behind curtains, etc. Good luck – sometimes it is the patience of Job that is required!
What about spraying for the spider? That the spider is dead rather than gone?
Clever Mom!
And wine. Lots of it 🙂
Good point.
Minki was going on about a “goggo” in her room, pointing at the ceiling. We discovered that the security light from outside shines into her room and cast the shadow from the ceiling fan to look like a giant octopus. We turned her bed around and took off the blades from the fan. Viola! Happy as a clam.