How Can I Get An 8 Year Old? ?

Question

my little sister is afraid of sleeping in her room and she always wants me to keep my door open but i cant sleep with the door open so how can i get an 8 year old to quit being afraid of sleeping by herself and the dark?

Answer 1

Ask her what she is frightened of, it could be her imagination running wild and don't forget the imagination can be a powerful thing.  Perhaps go through a night time routine with her - looking under the bed together, closing the cupboard doors, looking behind the curtains.  Growing up and learning to be independent can be a daunting thing to deal with.

And yes, a night light is a good idea, it gives her some control over the situation.

Also, set a 'recognition' programme into place and make a deal with her that each week, the door closes a bit more, use chalk on the floor to draw the line, let her do it - again giving her a sense of control over her fear.  Don't expect the door to be shut in a week, it will take some time and allow her that time.  There will be progress, regression and then progress again . . . just keep at it and be patient.  The recognition is praising her in the morning, telling your folks how proud you are of her - this can only have a positive effect on her confidence which will in turn give her more strength to deal with her fear.  

Often when a child knows that somebody understands them and although the circumstances are not necessarily changed, it empowers them to know that they are being listened to.

It's a long haul, but with the right attitude from your side, it should be successful.

Answer 2

First of all, it isn't your job to parent your little sister. Talk to your parents about the problem.

However, if that isn't a possibility, for whatever reason, talk to your little sister about why she is scared and attempt to solve the problem. Is it too dark? Maybe a nightlight will help. Too quiet? Maybe a radio set to classical music will help. Many alarms have a sleep setting that plays for an hour or so then turns off on it's own. Are objects casting a scary shadow? Maybe she needs a little feng shui - when I was little, I used to dream my bed was falling through the floor because I knew it was right over the open area of the kitchen. When we rearranged my room so my bed was in a different place, I stopped having that dream.

Answer 3

Give her night light and buy her big teddy bear so that she can sleep with him i hope this will help .

Answer 4

This is something your parents should be dealing with, but perhaps that is the reason she is afraid.  You could let her sleep with a radio on playing very low, a night light, you could let her sleep on your floor, or you could talk to a trusted adult about this problem.  (a school counselor, the church pastor, an aunt or grandmom).  The key is to find out what is causing her fear.  My youngest daughter is afraid of the dark, she falls asleep with her tv on (sets the timer for 1 hour) and two night lights.  But emotional issues can cause this kind of fear also, so don't be too hard on her, try to be supportive.  Good luck and God Bless.

Answer 5

give her a nightlight and she'll eventually grow out of it..  

Answer 6

Besides a nightlight.  Find out what is making her so afraid.  Another suggestion is get a CD player so she can play music at night to sleep to.  Sometimes a child's mind plays tricks on them at night so the music will quite the "mind voices" that is causing her to be afraid.

Eventually she may grow out of it.  They have such vivid imaginations that sometimes it's just so overwhelming at night.

Also, make sure she's not watching too many scary movies :)

Answer 7

How about buying her a special night light - something that she will really like, bought by her big sister.  Tell her you need to close your door to get a good night's sleep and you bought it especially for her because you love her.

Good luck!

Answer 8

a night light...

and try talking to her...

and convincing her...

Answer 9

either get a nightlight or a touch lamp and put in her room to start with...

thats how i got my daughters used to the dark and sleeping by themselves...

leave the door open a crack also..