MONSTER PHOBIA
While visiting friends one evening, I had the opportunity to tell a bedtime story to five-year-old Amy.
I spoke slowly, in my deepest, most menacing voice. “Once upon a time, there was a great big horrible terrible slimy green monster, who liked to SCARE little children!”
Amy was genuinely concerned. “Oh no!”
I continued in my scariest voice. “And do you know what this horrible, terrible monster's name was?”
Amy shook her head.
I quickly sat up and said, cheerfully, “It was Jimmy!! Jimmy J. Monster.”
I continued cheerfully, “One night, Jimmy J. Monster thought he would try to scare his next door neighbor Amypou. So he put on his nice big green monster costume, and hid in the closet right outside Amypou's bedroom.
But what Jimmy J. Monster didn't realize was that a lollipop had fallen out of the pocket of his slimy green monster costume.
Amypou's Daddy saw the lollipop, and knew exactly what was going on! He knew that a naughty monster was going to try to scare his little girl!
“Do you know what it is that monsters DO NOT like, more than anything else in the whole world???
Amy shook her head.
Monsters do not like to be yelled at!! So let's all give him a good yelling. They opened the closet door and yelled. “Jimmy J. Monster, you're a BAD monster, and if you ever try to scare anybody in this house again, we'll tell your Mommy on you, and she won't let you watch cartoons for a whole week!!!”
Jimmy J. Monster jumped out of the closet. “Please don't tell my Mommy. I' promise I'll never try to care you again. In fact, I think I'm too old to go around scaring people. It isn't that much fun anymore. So please don't tell my Mommy.”
And that is the story of Jimmy J. Monster and his lollipop.”
When I visited the family again a few weeks later, Amy asked me to tell her another story about Jimmy J. Monster.
* * * * * *
I think it is a mistake to dismiss a child's phobias by telling him or her that there is no such thing as a ghost or a monster. I think it is much better to accept the child's reality, and then modify it.