Question

Question

My child is scared of darkness and every evening wants to be home by sunset. I dont know why and Im worried. Is she seeing something supernatural. Whats the reason for her fear?

Debolina Raja · Accepted Answer

For kids and even for many adults the fear of not knowing what's out there is the biggest fear. I won't go into the supernatural angle but I think if ur kid wants to stay home after dark it's good in a way as u know ur kid will be safe especially if playing alone with friends. Talk to ur kid and show that darkness is nothing but the same environment only without light.switch off the light and switch it on again and show ur kid how everything is the same

Darshan Dattatray Lokhande · Answer

An individual may not be able to fall asleep once it’s dark and their mind starts to wander. Connection to poor sleeping habits also makes it easy to mistake fear of the dark for other fears, or for more general anxiety

Shruti Biswas · Answer

Hey, I assume that your kid is quite small as in between 3 and 6. It is okay for kids this age feeling scared of the darkness, specially when there are not many people on the road or if the street is not properly lit. It happens with us too. When we happen to be on a lonely street, we do get a little scared. I guess, when we tell kids about strangers and thieves, we are informing them about the things they should protect themselves from so that they be safe, but sometimes, such things deeply affect kids psyche. Try to remember, you must have educated him about how she should be careful and not to talk to strangers, or not to go alone anywhere and be home before it is dark and perhaps she in her own little world imagined strangers to be way too dangerous or bad people and that she should be back home before it turns dark, as bad people can hurt her. Once, a thief happened to broke into our house, and my daughter the just 3 year old got to know about it because of the hullaballoo in the home. And, now she is five, she has vivid memories of that incident and would you believe, she cross-checks the door when we are going out somewhere, she makes sure all keys are in place. She tells me to hurry up to home, if both of us are only driving around the town. I think, you need to ask your kid in a calm and comfortable environment, what is bothering her.. Ask her why is she so scared of the darkness. Find out what's bothering her. You can make her see the beauty in the darkness by perhaps clicking pictures of the night, moon, stars. You can let her do that. Take her in the park in the late evenings on her off days with her father if she feels more secured with her. And try to make her comfortable with the darkness. You as a family can go out for dinner, and eventually, at times movies and gradually she would be fine. But do not push her and don't make everything go fast, let her take her own time to become comfortable.

My child is scared of darkness and every evening wants to be home by sunset. I don't know why and I'm worried. Is she seeing something supernatural. Whats the reason for her fear?