Fighting "The Boogie Man"!

I remember having many fears as a child. The nighttime magnified those fears, and added new ones! My son reminds me of these terrors as he deals with his own. Of course as an adult, I often want to laugh these fears away and simply tell him it's all in his imagination. However, they are very real to him. Thus, they are very real to me too.

There are several things that I have done to combat "The Boogie Man". My favorite one of all came from www.inkgarden.com. I was able to create a sweet pillowcase with the both of us on it. My little boy cherishes this pillowcase as he feels so much more secure knowing mommy is right there. Have someone take a similar photograph of you and your loved one, then make a pillow out of it!

Nightlights are a must! I actually have them in most rooms of our house. Definitely one in his room. They take the edge off of the darkness and light his way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I also open the blinds and drapes to let the moon shine in. And yes, I close his closet door so the "Boogie Man" can't come out from in there :-).

The arsenal of stuffed animals are beside his bed. He calls them "his little family" :-). I include them all in our prayer time before he nods off to sleep, and I hug them all too. He surrounds himself with them and even sleeps directly on top of his favorite...a giant brown bear he calls "Bearie"!

I have checked on him every night since he moved to his own room. I give him kisses, pull the blankets back onto him on chilly nights, and off of him on warm ones. I also whisper directly into his ear. I just feel like there is a part of him that actually hears me subliminally :-). I tell him how much I love him, what a gift he is, how smart he is, and that I will always be there... no matter what.

Lastly, on very scary nights (thunderstorms, bad dreams, growing pains in his legs, etc), he absolutely knows there is an extra soft place to land right in Mommie's bed!