AIBU to be mad at husband for keeping mentioning "monster" to my toddler?

[LifeIsAnArt]

My husband has kept bringing up "monster" to my 2 yr old DC the past couple of weeks, e.g. saying there's a monster in our house, a monster is coming etc. I have caught a number of times when DC was frightened of this idea, e.g. when it was mentioned that there's a monster in our garage, she broke into a cry and wouldn't go near the garage. To me this is completely mad - why would you frighten a toddler in this way, when I try so hard to read her story books to say that there are no scary monsters? I have brought this up a few times with husband to say this is not on, but he says it's all just a joke. Well, now DC isn't so scared of the idea anymore and sometimes finds it amusing and says "monster monster" herself in a relaxed tone, but time and again I think she does get a bit scared, e.g. this morning when she was told there's a monster in her closet and she wouldn't open the door. Dad then tells her there's actually no monster. I was really just fuming. Why would you do this to your own child?! AIBU to think that this is just ridiculous parenting? How do I make him stop mentioning the stupid word?

That's really not on. Not helpful as children have more vivid imaginations than adults. But I don't think you should tell her that there are no monsters as 1. That's now sending a conflicting and confusing message to the info her dad has told her, 2. She believes there are monsters so it's better to tell her why the monster isn't scary or how to make it go away. As in, it is important to teach her while she's still young that her fears, feelings and instincts are valid, and focus instead on teaching her emotional tools to deal with her feelings and practical ways of making the problem go away. But I don't believe in teaching children to dismiss their natural instincts as silly.

You are very correct though that your husband's attitude stinks - would it help if you got someone else to have words with him/ showed him some research/ expertise on the matter?

@Topsecretidentity thanks for the reply. I think it may be a "cultural" thing as have spoken to a few others who think I'm overreacting and should just let it go. I've resorted to sharing articles about this and will see what the husband says. I'm

@Topsecretidentity oops hit "post" too soon. I'm still quite upset about this as it's being mentioned on a daily basis and my DC is still scared/ confused. To me these are just jokes that shouldn't be made to toddlers, but others are of the opinion that they aren't that damaging.