11 yrs old and still scared of the dark??

Hey hey


Just wanned to ask a small question.
My 11 year old brother still has a hard time falling asleep with the lights off. He CAN do it, but he lets me switch the lights off with the sadest face a child could give.
I dont think this is normal at his age is it??

I must add, weve had to live in a small house for about 3 years till this summer and he has had to sleep with my mother in the room ever since. Could this have caused this in a way?

Tamika

 

Well I'm 31 and *I* still sleep with a night-light. I've got nightlights in both bathrooms, and one in our kitchen bright enough to barely illuminate the entire living area.

Some people just don't like to be in the dark.

If it's bothering you or someone else in the house to have a huge bright light on, maybe you could find a teeny tiny one just for near him?
love,
mom

 

I'm freaked out by the dark still as well... I'm afraid of what I can't see. Not like "monsters" or anything like that but people. I have a fear someone will break in and surprise me in the dark. I think maybe someone scared me when I was little but I seriously get upset in the dark. My heart races until I turn on the light and sometimes I practically run to do that, lol. I wouldn't worry about it. Some people just don't like the dark.

 

Im not comfortable in the dark either but I keep thinking that if i dont want him to be scared later in life i could get it out of his system now..........

 

Here's an easy fix....Turn the light on!

I still don't like to sleep in complete darkness, especially alone.

 

my sister is 17 and still sleeps with all the lights on in her room. and she would get scared at night and run in to sleep with our mom until she was 13 or 14 and then i think she stopped only bc she started to get embarassed. Plus we don't live with our mother anymore. i used to make fun of her when we were younger, and I still think it's kinda wierd bc I like to sleep in total darkness... but it's who she is and it doesn't seem to effect her in any way. she just doesnt like the dark. whatever. So i don't think you should worry about your brother. It's not really a big deal, Like everyone else said.. some people just don't like the dark.

My first roomate in college was also really afraid of the dark, and this was really annoying bc she absolutely had to have every single light on in the room, and the tv on, all night long. and like I said, I have to sleep in complete darkness... so we had some issues ... I ended up sleeping in a friends room 90% of the time bc she jst refused to compromise.

It sounds like he would be ok with a nightlight. Wouldn't some kind of compromise work?

 

You know, I was somewhat afraid of the dark up until the time I was 16. What changed? I got rid of my bed-frame and started sleeping with my mattress directly on the floor--My fear of the dark was mainly caused by a fear of something hidden under my bed! It worked great. An additional benefit was reduced back pain, as having the mattress on the floor made it a little firmer.

Other things you can do:

*Put a small lamp close enough to his bed so that he can turn it on without having to get out of bed and walking in the dark. Having the ability to flip on a light immediately upon hearing something scary can be reassuring.

*Glow in the dark stars on the ceiling! It can be spatially distressing to look up into complete darkness and see nothing but black; the room can seem huge or even endless, unprotected as if sleeping outside in the middle of a clearing with no tent or even a tree to cover you. The glow in the dark stars could prevent such a feeling, making the room feel smaller and cozier.