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Scaring the Crap Outta My Kids

So, Halloween isn’t really a kid-friendly holiday, huh? I mean…let’s dress up and scare the crap out of them…after hyping them up with so much candy you can’t actually tell if they’re shaking from the sugar or because they’re freaked out. Nice.

We have some decorations up … and the typical shows the kids watch have been doing the Halloween themed stuff lately (ghosts, monsters, bats, etc). I didn’t *really* think anything of it until a few nights ago when Logan woke up – twice…literally shaking in his crib. Poor kid.

Apparently, I accidentally moved his clock just right so that it was casting new shadows (HIS shadows) on the wall … and it was totally freaking him out. I went in and he was pointing to the wall and shaking and crying. I felt so bad for him! I asked if he was scared, and with big tears in his eyes he nodded and said “Scared!” So I asked if he wanted to use the Monster Spray. He nodded. I turned to head out the door to get it and he totally freaked again…I had to take him with me to get the Monster Spray! That calmed him down for about 15 minutes – tops. . . when I had to go in again and spray one more time.

We ended up moving his night light (it hadn’t occurred to me at that point that it was his clock), and he slept through the rest of the night…but geez. Poor kid.

Monster Spray

A very clever mom taught me about Monster Spray. (She’s also a good friend, a former co-worker, and an essential oil guru – don’t worry, Paula, I won’t mention any names 😉 )  She said that kids like to be in control – especially when they don’t feel like they have it – and one major time is when there are “monsters” around at night. Her solution? Monster spray! Let your child spray it herself and life will be good. (I’ll give Paula a little plug here…she wrote a book on essential oils: Seasons of Aromatherapy. Well. she’s written a few, but I know the monster spray is in this one.) Okay – back to my point. At one time, I made the monster spray from her book (before I had kids LOL), but we’re just using Febreeze now (Sorry Paula!)

It all started one night a few months ago when Maggie woke up crying and talking about how she was scared of the Cookie Monster. (Yes. The *cookie monster* – of all things!!) We got some “monster spray” out and that seemed to help a little. We doused one corner especially (I think she saw the laundry hamper and decided IT was the monster.)

We now spray before bed every night – everyone has to have at least one squirt if they’re in the room, including mommy and daddy. Figuring out how to make it so that beds, blankets, Dad, kids, etc. don’t get soaked is for another day…

On the subject of bad dreams, one other thing we do for Maggie is to make a big deal about how we must have put her pillow down on the wrong side… And then make a bigger deal (making sure she’s watching) out of turning it over to the “good dream” side. So far, this seems to help too. (I’ll thank my Mom for that idea – I remember her doing it for me 🙂 )

Any other bad dream breakers out there?