5 Year Old Got Really Scared at Halloween Store

That happened to my younger son and I am happy to say that he loves Halloween, scary stuff and horror movies today! When he went through the fear of monsters we got the Discovery Kids video "Monsters" from the library, and after he learned all about monsters he was no longer afraid of them. Knowledge is power!

We have had great success in addressing recent monster fears...totally by accident...by watching the Sci-fi channel show Face Off with our kids. It's kind of like Project Runway, but the contestants are make up artists. It shows the artists designing, creating, and executing creature, alien, monster, etc make up designs. Seeing how they are made from the very beginning has taken the scary out of these creatures, and our kiddos just see them as pretending for fun. Thank you, oh horrible soul sucking television!! Lol!!

It's plastic.
Show him a plastic bowl and tell him plastic can be made in any shape.
It's all make believe and not real.
Then give him some happy fun things to think about.
Sing 'My Favorite Things'.

Five-year-olds still can't separate fantasy from reality. Having said that, I made the same mistake with my younger two. We went on a haunted hay ride that was supposed to be for little kids, and it was pitch black with people jumping out at us with chain saws. I felt bad for my kids and foolish for going on the hayride. I think they were 6 and 7 at the time. I told them it was scary and I didt like it either, but it wasn't real. It was like a tv show. I'm not sure they understood that, but we went out to get ice cream afterward, and I always read to them at bedtime. They soon forgot about it. Also, my son wanted to be a skeleton at Halloween. He was maybe 5. I painted his face to look like a skeleton, and when he saw himself in the mirror, he was scared and wanted me to take it off. Silly me. I took it off and comforted him. My older two are 23 and 25 now. No permanent damage. You'll make mistakes. Just talk to your kids, cuddle them, comfort them, love them.

My daughter used to be terrified by all of that stuff. The grocery store often puts out some life sized zombies that start making noise when you walk by the sensor. Oh boy, would she run.

We just try to break it down as best possible and explain that someone made them and tell her that they are not real.

The sad thing is that their brains can't process what we are explaining. These things come to life for them and scare them in their head.

He will fear a few of them before he realizes that they are not real.

I know you feel bad, but we d not always know how even adults can react to all sorts of things.

Children that are very intelligent and creative can really freak themselves out with not much help.. Keep in mind your sons height, he sees a lot of things right in front of him, while we have to bend over to see the basket filled with severed fingers and bloody eye balls!

I know there are many picture books about how children are afraid of monsters and Halloween. Either go to the library and ask there or go to a book store with a good children's area and ask them for suggestions. I used to take our daughter to the book store and read books to her, then surprise her with 1 or 2as a treat. She is now 23 and still loves her collection of Halloween picture books and uses them to decorate with.

Try to divert his attention by making cookies tonight, go to McDonald's, play outside in the yard, etc.

I am an adult and will not watch scary tv.

Sometimes what helps my DD is to put other thoughts in her head, by reading a favorite book that night. I tell her she is always welcome to look at or read a book off her shelf if she needs help winding down.

Just explain to him that they are nothing but big battery-operated dolls.

He would see the same things trick or treating in most neighborhoods. Try and let him sleep with you or let him use an ipad or laptop to watch something silly in bed!

Why didn't you just show they aren't real right there and then?

I remember we had that issue as well. I felt badly also. It'll take a few days. We ended up watching Halloween shoes for very small kids and talking about their costumes and talking about how "silly" they looked. Kinda took the edge off...

First of all, give yourself a little break as far as kicking yourself! True children get frightened of these scary images and perhaps you might not have taken him if you had considered this, but we all make mistakes and no real harm done! Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you're a great mom! I think you can turn this into a great learning experience for your son, and maybe you as well. I have a friend who began mindfulness meditaton, on her own, when she was about five. It's never to early to teach these techniques. You might try taking to your son about the value of quieting the mind for situations Iike this- something nagging at your brain keeping you up, whether it's disturbing images, a conflict that happened earlier in the day at school, or having trouble winding down from an exciting day. One technique I particularly like that can work well with children is seeing your mind as a wheel, with thoughts out on the rim - good thoughts, bad thoughts, scary images, whatever, and realizing that you are at the center of the wheel. Dr. Dan Siegel is a child psychiatrist and if you look him up with "wheel of awareness" and "children" you can find more info about this. Good luck!

He'll be fine, it will just take a night or two. He might need to crawl in bed with you or have you sit on his bed as he falls asleep. My son had the same reaction at about age 6 or 7, even though we thought we were being so careful and not going into the scary part of the store. The next year he declared he would conquer his fears and held my hand and got about half way in before I had to walk him back to the entrance. I have to be very careful with what he watches, even now and he's 9. Remind him that he can come and get you or call for you if he needs you. Try to watch or read pleasant things before bed. He'll get over it.