Your child is afraid of sleeping alone

Many parents believe that leaving the child alone to deal with his fears and treat himself on his own is the best solution. But this solution may cause more serious disorders

Childhood is one of the most common stages of life in which fear appears, as many children suffer from intense fear during sleep. This fear may be accompanied by intense screaming and crying, calls for help, and sudden awakening, which makes the child afraid in his bed

The second problem that millions of children suffer from is the fear of the dark. The question here is: How did the idea that there is a monster when it is dark get into the child's brain? How should mothers deal with their children’s fear during and during sleep

Be a good and firm mother

"I don't want to sleep in my room alone. I'm afraid of the dark. There are monsters that will kidnap me." These are the repeated words that “Adam” says daily to his mother, and Julia - Adam’s mother - tries to calm him down and that nothing is worth this fear, but sitting for long periods of time watching horror movies and terrifying reports about ghosts and monsters made him have many nightmares

This prompted Julia to prevent him from watching these channels and delete them, then make him understand that this is not real and realistic, so that it does not remain in his imagination and affect his psyche

She was very understanding and patient with him and tried to address and confront this fear in the best way, which is confrontation and that all of these things are not realistic, and to restore his feeling of safety and freedom from anxiety. But this issue took a long time with the help of a psychological therapist, and in the end she succeeded in returning her son to his usual self

Among the most important things that Julia adopted in treating her son: Reducing pressure on him by avoiding watching movies that include horror scenes, talking to him about his problems at school or with friends and trying to solve them, maintaining family stability without any family quarrels occurring in front of him, hugging him frequently to make him feel safe, and reading useful stories to him before bed

Julia says, “The mother must be gentle with her son and firm at the same time in order to obtain a positive result that rids her child of the fears he is experiencing during that period”

Treating fear in several correct ways

Social specialists believe that talking calmly to the child about fear and giving him confidence in his psychological ability to overcome it are very important. This is done by listening to him, talking to him, and telling him that fear is normal and expected of real things

Although we know as adults that ghosts and strange monsters do not exist, a child cannot easily imagine the absurdity of believing in the existence of such frightening things, especially when understanding the many sources of such frightening thoughts that enter and his mind imagines it

Psychologists confirm that “it is natural for the child’s fear to increase at night and when sleeping. It is then normal for him to begin to express his need for his mother and his desire to be with her, specifically to sleep near her in her bed. What is required of the mother is to show the child her closeness to him, her surrounding him with care, and the sincerity of her feeling for what he is suffering.” From him, and it is good to make him understand that it is natural for him to look for his mother and safety with her, and that his mother will be with him and next to him. However, the mother must not go too far in responding to his requests, specifically sleeping with her in her bed. She must resist this request gently and kindly, because sleeping in her room permanently It won't solve the problem

Some things mothers should consider

Specialists point out that it is wrong to address him by saying, “I will look under the bed to prove to you that there are no monsters, or if I were a rational and upright boy, I would not be afraid of ghosts,” because this indirectly gives the child the feeling that his fear has a basis; Or the thing he is afraid of might be around him

The child should also be kept away from watching horror films in general and fairy tale films before bed, or intimidating him because he does not sleep

In addition to not forcing him to sleep in a dark room if the child feels afraid of the dark, and not insisting on turning off all the lights while sleeping, but soft lighting can be used, and the room door left slightly open, as this gives him a more comfortable and secure feeling

It is wise to be there for the child and give him compassion, without going into any details, when he wakes up terrified because of a nightmare. One must be careful not to blame the child or shout at him during this situation. And communicate with him by touch, that is, the child must be hugged and held by his hand so that he feels safe and reassured, and not leave his bed to feel that everything is fine

Some supportive methods Specialists advise trying to uncover the psychological, social and

 educational problems that the child is experiencing, and the mother must have the utmost

 patience in dealing with the child

Screaming punishment, and neglect are unwise methods and although they make the mother

 comfortable they leave the child disturbed and sleep disorders may accompany him for life

In addition to trying to do activities during the day that focus on enhancing the child’s self confidence building his personality, and acquiring new skills, and encouraging him to face his fears at bedtime

Specialists believe that there is no child who does not have a toy or something strongly attached to him. The mother must search for the child’s favorite toy and place it next to him in bed as a companion to him, and this gives him a feeling of comfort and security

Some common mistakes in treating fear Specialists point out the common mistakes in treating fear of sleep in children These methods are widespread, such as the inherited folk methods of teaching a child to sleep on his own, but unfortunately they are among the wrong and failed methods that increase fears and psychological disorders in children, the most important of which are

One of the wrong ways to treat a child's fear when sleeping is when the mother resorts to the act of clearing the room of monsters before sleeping. This method may give the child a feeling of security at the beginning of sleep, but it undoubtedly strengthens his belief in the presence of monsters in his room, doubles his fear and increases the chances of panic. Night and night sleep due to fear

Maintaining a fixed routine for children, but this is not considered a major part of treating a child’s fear at bedtime. Rather, trying to force a sleep routine on the child may contribute to strengthening his fear of sleep

Which is telling him that you will not leave him alone in the room, and that he should just try to sleep, and then you will leave as soon as the child goes to sleep. This method is very bad and causes more harm than good. The child must understand that he will sleep alone, and you can promise to come back to check on him once or twice at night, no more

It is not recommended to have sound in the child's room. You should also avoid relaxation recordings spread on the Internet. The child should sleep in a quiet room with very dim or dark lighting

Negligence Many parents believe that leaving the child alone to deal with his fears and treat himself by himself is the ideal solution, but the truth is that neglecting the child and letting him live with his fear of the dark, monsters, and evil people may help him devise a solution, but this solution may cause more serious disorders, including some. Sexual disorders

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