Help your child fight fear

Out of my four kids, my oldest daughter struggles the most being fearful at night. She also struggles with vivid and scary night terrors. Thankfully, they've gotten better over the years, but when they strike, they’re awful screams that wake my husband and me up at night.

Fear is natural for children as darkness settles in our homes at night. There’s just something about nighttime that causes our children to worry about the “what ifs” and to gaze upon the nearest night light.

My daughter often asks, “Mommy, what if someone breaks in at night? I always feel like someone is going to break in. Will robbers come here?”

I confidently say God is watching over her and she’ll be safe. Daddy protects our home. We go over this line of dialogue often. Sometimes I grow frustrated having to tell my girls that daddy and mommy are right above them upstairs.

I also tell her to look at her pink porcelain cross on the wall so she can think about Jesus’ love for her.

I tell my daughter she can think about God and all the good things in heaven. I help her see the differences between God and Satan and the sinful world we live in. I even tell her to think about unicorns, lollipops, loved ones in heaven and more to get her mind off the darkness that can feel so oppressive.

Obviously, there’s only so much we can do because we can’t make fear go away, but we can help remind our kids of truth.

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