Fear of the Dark

One of the biggest fears that children have is of the dark. They may be just fine and then suddenly start to cry out at night from it or refuse to go to bed. The child may have seen a movie or heard a story that is causing the fear. They may have older siblings that are enjoying the fear they put into them as well. In many respects though it is a result of their growing imagination.

There are a number of reasons for this and parents need to try to be as understanding as possible. Telling your child to go to their room and leaving them alone in the dark isn’t going to help them. In fact, it is going to give them the idea that you aren’t there for them. They may grow up not coming to you for larger issues because to them this was a big thing and you turned them away.

It is important to talk to your child about why they are afraid of the dark. This way you can help to take care of the problem. If they aren’t sure then it is going to be tougher but you can still support them. Allow them to sleep with a nightlight on or even the regular light on. They may ask you to sleep with them as well. In time this fear should go away.

If your child has been exposed to a traumatic experience recently it can account for their new fear of the dark. Even if the situation didn’t occur in their room it may have done some at night. Therefore they are transferring that onto that idea that anything can happen to them at night in the dark and they have fears about it.

Some adults will also experience fear of the dark due to traumatic experiences. They may feel that they are unable to cope with what can take place in the dark. If they have been the victim of a crime then that fear is very real. It can help to seek the help of a counselor or to have someone stay with you for a while. You can also turn on a lamp so that you will have some light and that can help.