Scared Nephew
My cousin has a five-year-old son who recently saw a scary movie and
now believes that a 'boogeyman' is hiding in his bedroom closet at
night. He also has fears of the dark, large dogs and large, loud men.
To
help, I gave him a powerful flashlight to keep with him and I bought
him a nightlight for when he sleeps. Unfortunately, it just makes more shadows in
the room.
Meanwhile, he does well in kindergarten but he is shy and timid and still clings to his female teacher at times. Any advice?
[answer]
The
idea of a night light and flashlight are excellent and may be very
useful in the future. I suggest you supplement the idea with a power
symbol...an old remote (batteries removed), a toy
truck/excavator/tractor, special stuffed animal, or anything that
represents force to him.
I suggest bedtime be elongated (started
earlier) and closets, drawers, and under the bed be searched and
reported empty with some drama. A special 'power' drink (water with a
splash of cranberry juice) could be introduced as a 'safety agent.'
Keep
in mind that many five-year-olds are still clingy to their teachers,
timid and shy. If this continues for another two months, I suggest a
consultation with a child psychologist.
It is often thought that
children with fears of aggression and harm are projecting their own
wishes pushed by unexpressed anger. Whether this is the case or not,
aggressive activities (constructive) can be introduced... like hammering
nails into a piece of wood, tearing up newspapers and stuffing the
pieces into an old white pillowcase and making a punching pillow, and
building with LEGO or blocks and knocking it down before putting the
pieces away,
are all great activities.
On another note, have you looked at the book Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak? This works for many kids, but has to be thoughtfully evaluated.
I hope this is helpful.
Natalie Robinson Garfield
TheSenseConnection.wordpress.com
Originally published in December 2012
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