Two nights ago Chase ran into our bedroom, crying that there were monsters in her room - and there were monsters in Madoc's room. She was terrified. She spent the rest of the night curled up close to me.
Last night, she didn't want to go to sleep. She was so scared. She was also so tired that her body finally gave in and she fell asleep in her bed after reading many, many books.
After she went to bed, I slipped downstairs and did a quick google search on fear of monsters. Apparently, fears start as early as three and can last until a child is eight. The article I read indicated that even though it can be a very scary time for the child, it is a good thing, because it shows that the child is capable of understanding abstract concepts. The article indicated that monsters can be brought on by stress (like the birth of a sibling) or by seeing something scary (and she had just watched a little einsteins about dinosaurs). The article offered ideas up like creating a "monster spray," and indicated it's important to validate the child's feelings, rather than simply telling them monsters don't exist.
So I had a couple ideas up my sleeve, when she came into bed at midnight. I let her finish the night with me, as Hubs is out of town, figuring we'd chat about it in the morning. So when she woke up we started talking about the monsters, and she said her Komoto Dragon had put the monsters back in their cages.
And then she started telling me about Icky, her Komoto Dragon. He wears a hat. And has a purse with puzzles and games. And he keeps the monsters in their cages.
So Icky spent the morning with us. He brushed his teeth next to Chase. Washed his face. Had breakfast. I think Icky might be with us for a little while.
