Posting for traffic. Months ago one of his friends showed him something online that really scared him when he was round his house for the day. Since then he has been scared every bedtime about monsters - it took him a while to tell me what had triggered it.
He’s always slept with a light on but now he often wants checking on at bedtime and struggles to get to sleep. He’s had a mates round for sleepovers and they had no problems at bedtime and could’ve happily slept in the dark but DS asked me to discretely check on him in a way his mates wouldn’t notice, and come up with excuses so he could leave the light on without his mates realising he was scared.
We talk about his fears and the fact that monsters aren’t real but he says no matter what I do to try to reassure him, he’s frightened. Sometimes he ends up sleeping with me.
What’s really concerning me is that he has his first residential trip in a few weeks. It hasn’t occurred to him yet that I won’t be there at bedtime. I’m worried that closer to the time he’s going to realise that and be worried about bedtimes. He’ll be sleeping in a dorm with at least 3 other boys.
I know most kids grow out of this stuff but what can I do to help that really works? It’s been going on for months!