10 Yr. Old Is Scared to Go to Bed

My son likes the radio on and it seems to soothe him. Maybe that would work? Or put on a CD of happy music. Or, if he has a TV, a nice DVD?

This happened to my son at 10 yr. He did this on his
own but what he did is got the cot out and set it up
in his sisters room who was 6 yr. We talked about movies not being real but a scared child does not want to hear that. My
son knew it was silly but just needed alittle extra security. That lasted almost 2 weeks and now we can joke about it.
Don't know if it will help but just a suggestion.

If you know what it is that scares him, turn the TV off. I know it's hard to imagine, but my sister was much the same way when she was young. My parents eventually got rid of our TV all together. But, it will also teach him that the TV has bad stuff, too, and he doesn't have to endure that. Instead, try having him read one of his favorite books before bed. Feed him with positive stuff and the negative stuff will go away. Hope this helps.

I would say just monitor what he is watching and if a commercial or preview or show comes on that is inappropriate, just change the channel or use the parental block setting on your TV. And just reinforce to him that the images on TV are not real.

I am not sure if I have any advice other than to make sure he changes the channel. I am 23 and still have this problem and if I even hear something like that from another room I may be up several nights. I think just make sure he changes the channel. Also, see if maybe he would write in a journal. Sometimes writing about what scares me would kind of put my mind a rest when I was little. Kinda like it didnt' have power over my mind anymore since it was in the book. Or try having him write a story about a situation that he saw on tv that scares him and have him write an ending that gives him power. The previews are there to leave us on the edge our seats. The problem with that is your son doesn't see how it will end so he can't close the story in his head. I am not sure if these help but good luck!

I HAVE A 9 1/2 YEAR OLD AND HE ALSO FREAKES OUT WHEN HE SEE'S SOMTHING ON TV OR EVEN IN A BOOK. WE REALLY HAVE TO LIMIT WHAT HE WATCHES AND READS. HE WON'T GO UP STAIRS ALONE WITHOUT HIS OTHER BROTHER (WHOS 7). I HAVE TRIED EXPLAINING IT TO HIM ABOUT IT BEING FAKE, BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MAKE THINGS BETTER. WE CAN'T EVEN WATCH THE NEWS IN FRONT OF HIM BECAUSE THERE ARE REAL PEOPLE ON THERE WHO ARE SCARY TO HIM TOO. MY ADVICE IS JUST TO LET HIM KNOW HE IS SAFE, CHECK THE WINDOWS AND THE DOORS BEFORE HE GOES TO BED. I GIVE MY SON GOOD IDEAS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN HE GOES TO BED AND IN THE MORNING I ASK HIM TO TELL ME THE GOOD STUFF HE THOUGHT OF AND SINCE HE HAS TO ANSWER HE REALLY DOES THINK ABOUT THE IDEAS BEFORE BED.

Most shows on after 8:00 aren't appropriate for a 10-year old int he first place. That is when these previews come on, not during age-appropriate shows. Make sure he turns off the TV before adult shows and reads a book before bed instead of watching so much TV.

Hi, B..
Sorry your son has been scared, but it's totally understandable, since even adults can get pretty frightened of some of the movies out there. Images are very powerful and can imprint people (especially children) deeply, so the ones that are frightening your son need to be removed.

I don't let my kids watch previews on the movies we get because I never know what's going to pop on the screen. As for TV, we rarely watch it because anything could suddenly appear and influence them negatively. I know this might sound overprotective, but I figure that I have only a small window of time to help my kids grow up with healthy minds, so I'm pretty careful.

Removing the images is not enough, though. Images will gradually fade and soften with time, but your son will find relief more quickly if you can help to fill his mind with images that make him feel safe and comfortable. You could have him watch something helpful before bed, or read a neat story to him with really interesting pictures, or help him recall a fun time in his life--anything that would help him picture pleasant things.

Teach him to purposefully think about pleasant things, so he can do this for himself as well. You can't protect him from everything, so he needs to know how to deal with fresh images that "attack" him. I have been sensitive to scary things my whole life, but it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned to replace the awful images with pleasant ones. I wish someone had been there to teach me how to do it earlier. I wish you success in this adventure.

S.

I have 3 children, 2 grown and 1 15-year-old. Either consciously or sub-consciously, he might be using this as a little bit of a stall tactic. I'm not saying he's being naughty or yanking your chain, but you've already explained that it's make-believe. He knows that, at 10. Don't spend any more time on that part of it.
Kiss him, tell him you love him, read a chapter book to him, put on the nightlight or music or whatever else you choose to do to get him relaxed and comfortable, then leave. Period. He will need to learn to comfort himself when the scary images come.
Part of it could be due to the beginnings of hormonal changes in his body, too. Hormones do weird things.
Good luck!

When I was younger we lived in the country and when it would rain somehow snakes would find there way in so I was scared to death at night my imagination would run wild and I would force myself awake I slept with a flash light if I got scared I would turn it on really quick and check then turn it off and I always thought I could hit the snake with the flash light if it got on my bed sounds silly but it helped it's more mature than a night light and good to have anyways

MY KIDS HAVE BEEN THRU THIS. WE JUST EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT MOVIES ARE FAKE AND LIKE A PLAY THAT THEY READ IN SCHOOL. I TOO HAVE A TEN YR OLD AND THEY HAVE ALREADY READ PLAYS AND KNOW THAT EACH PERSON HAS CERTAIN LINES SO THAT MAY HELP. IF YOU HAVE A DOG INSIDE YOU MAY SAY THAT IT WILL LET YOU KNOW IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. OTHERWISE MAYBE LETTING YOUR SON SECURE THE HOME HIMSELF MAY HELP. MAYBE LETTING HIM PULL THE BLINDS OR CURTAINS AND PUTTING A CHAIR IN FRONT OF THE DOOR WILL HELP, THAT WAY YOU CAN SAY YOU WOULD HEAR THE CHAIR OR SOMETHING.