Brookline Patch Column: When Children Hear Noises at Night

[mabfan]

Nomi and I are back from celebrating the first four days of Sukkot with Nomi's parents, and we had quite a few adventures with Muffin and Squeaker. I suspect we'll be writing some of it up for a future The Brookline Parent column at Brookline Patch.

Our latest column went up last Friday, but as it was the second day of Sukkot we weren't able to publicize it since we were occupied with the holiday. But hey, it's not like it was going to disappear between last week and this week. So to cure those Monday morning blahs, enjoy reading When Children Hear Noises at Night today if you missed it last Friday. In this column, I discuss what we did a few weeks ago when Muffin got scared of the radiator noise. And in the end, I managed to find Real Science! to back up what I did.

If you need any further incentive to go read When Children Hear Noises at Night, there are some cute pictures of Muffin and Squeaker with stuffed bears. (Hey! Could that be a clue as to how we dealt with Muffin's fear of the radiator noise? Hmm....)

Enjoy!

Comments

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

I used to be scared of the monster in my closet (I had a large walk-in) as a child. I would put sharp blocks on the floor between the closet and my bed, so that if the monster snuck out, he'd hurt his foot, yell, and wake me up.

I wanted to sleep with a sword next to my bed, but my parents wouldn't let me have weapons. As an adult, I have a Museum Replicas sword sitting quietly on the lower half of my nightstand. It really does help me sleep at night, knowing that if anything jumps me, I'm prepared.

My cat, Stardust, used to sleep in my bed, and her presence was a great comfort. I don't know if you have any intention of getting a cat.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Sadly, my allergies preclude us from getting a cat.

I like the idea of having a sword close at hand for protection.

[gingicat]

Good article, and very cute pics :)

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Glad the solution worked!

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[glishara.livejournal.com]

Good problem-solving!

Helping kids find their own solutions and empowering them to overpower their own monsters is a major theme of Wes's therapy sessions for us. It gets harder as their fears get harder to reason out. Wes's big one now is that Jupiter will crash into his room. We have tried to explain why this won't happen, and have reached a cautious equilibrium where he still gets all wrapped up in panic about it sometimes, but not often. Also, we occasionally hear him shout "Go away, Jupiter!" at his ceiling.

So be prepared for the tricky ones to come. ;)