We have lived on our house for about 3 years now. It had been such a blessing and we are grateful every day for the space we have.
For as long as we have lived here the 3 older kids have had their rooms in the basement. For the same amount of time the same 3 kids have been scared to death to be down in the basement by themselves for more the 2 minutes. It has caused a lot of contention because when one child needs to go down for what ever reason they beg and plead for another sibling to go down with them. Without fail the child who is being asked to go down to help seems to forget that they were in the same predicament just a few hours ago. REALLY!!!!
It has gotten a little better, but I am at a loss as to how to help them overcome this fear. When we first moved in I had one night where I sat down with the kids in the back hall and I had them point out the sounds and noises that were scaring them. I thought if I could help them identify what the "scary" noise was it wouldn't be scary any more. It helped a little, but the #1 things that scares them are the noises. We have added night lights and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but with little results.
I have to laugh a little when I think of their fear because as a child I was scared ALL the time! I don't think there was a night that I didn't sleep with my sister Beth or plead with my Mom to let me sleep with them. (I guess you get what you gave.) To this day I am the BIGGEST baby still when it come to the dark and noises. It is so bad that I have to sleep with a fan on in my room so I don't "hear" things at night. When Greg is gone for a night I have to sleep with the bathroom light on and I have to sleep so I can see the door and no way could I ever sleep with my back to the door!! So I know where my kids get their active imagination and I totally understand, but I wish they didn't have to worry about it. I guess as they get older and they can reason with them selves things with get better, but for now I will have to do all that I can to help ease their fear and hope that they will eventually find peace and comfort from the "scary" basement.
1 comment:
Wow, do I understand this problem! My oldest especially is the same way. I'm nervous about moving her to the basement this summer since there won't be anyone else down there with her. Maybe an actual white noise machine would help. I used to love listening to relaxation tapes while I fell asleep because it's so hard not to fall asleep when you're listening to the ocean! I love when my kids hit about 2 because they always get afraid of the exact same Scooby Doo stuffed animal. They're the same size he is and suddenly they can't sleep with him in the room. It's kind of frustrating, but funny to me to see all of the similarities between my kids.
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