Monsters....what do you tell them??

[Cranky Kitten]

It is a lovely movie and still one of DD's faves, nearly 6 years later

**feels old now**

[kelebek]

DS is 3 and the scary monsters hang about his light.

We've had lot's of discussions about them monsters. I ask him if they are scary monsters or friendly monsters, if he says he hasn't asked I tell him to ask and if they are scary monsters that he can tell them to go away and that they have to. That monsters can only stay if they have his permission. If they are friendly monsters then they can stay cause they look after him and help protect him from the scary monsters.

Sometimes I go in with the water spray bottle and pretend it has special potion in it so they can't come around, other times I get him to visualise that he is surrounded by white light and that means there is no room for scary monsters... whatever works

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

We hunt down the scary monsters. They are more scared of us. I roar at them and they run away. DS loves Monsters, Inc. too - but the really scary monster there, Randall, wasn't scared of Boo, so I haven't brought that up.

Now, DS can use his XMen superpowers to get rid of naughty monsters. But I think I've scared all the monsters away from our house. Oh, and put a locked gate up the chimney so the zombies can't come down it and eat our brains.

[beckoes]

. Oh, and put a locked gate up the chimney so the zombies can't come down it and eat our brains.

[Glamourcide]

My kids must be weird - they LOVE monsters! They know they're scary and have big teeth and eat you etc etc, but we treat it like a big joke, usually with DH giving them a big lecture about how dangerous monsters are, then he goes and hides in the bathroom and waits for them to walk past the doorway and jumps out screaming in his 'monster voice' - the girls think it's absolutely hysterical (not so funny at bedtime though when I'm trying to get them settled for bed and he stirs them up and has them running around the house screaming at the top of their lungs lol)! So my advice would be to try and take the fear out of the scary monsters by turning it into a game, pull out your claws and go *rawwwrrr* and hopefully they'll seem less scary! Good luck

[~Kim~]

I'm all for honesty and saying they aren't real, but a 3yo with a hyperactive imagination is no match for me lol.
If she brought it up I'd do a room clearance for her, show her empty spaces and then I had a monster spray (lavender water) that I'd use.
Monsters Inc scared her to death, so I stopped that one fairly quickly.

[Just Me]

I hope this doesn't offend anyone because that is not my intention but I wanted to answer the OP's question ...

I have heard a few psychologists talk about monsters and they say not to play alone with looking under the bed/in the cupboard or anything else because that leaves kids with the impression that they do have a reason to be scared and that there is a possibility that monsters will be there. It can frighten them even more in the long run. Instead they suggest being honest and saying that monster don't exist. If kids are scared at night, work out with them things that you can do so that they aren't scared.

Again, sorry if that offends anyone. I am not trying to have a go at your responses, just answer the OP