I have an 8yr old daughter who is afraid of the dark,she thinks there´s a man hiding who will kidnap her.help!

Answer 1

There's a lot of good answers here already.
1) Find out the source of this fear. Is this new? Was it from seeing a movie or TV show where this happened, or a news story, or a friend telling her scary stories? Or did someone really try to mess with her? She may be trying to report abuse and not know the words.

If it's a movie or TV show, you can show her that (99%) the kidnap victim makes it out ok in the end. A friend telling scary stories is harder to deal with. And if someone really did try to do something to her, that needs help from the authorities.

2) fears are based on the mind, rarely on reality. Fear of the unknown. So, make them 'known" to her. Try turning off all the lights in the house, and walking thru the house with her, so she can see there is nothing there to be afraid of. Take a bandanna and tie her hands loosely in front of her so she can pull free and "escape". Sign up for a women's self defense course (most are free, and local police depts frequently do crime-prevention classes). That way she will know what to do if this ever happens. Women's self-defense courses, knowing how to take care of yourself, is one of the biggest confidence boosters and self-esteem builders there is (can you tell I teach one?). Not just in dealing with kidnapping, but lots of things in life. it puts you in control of your fear.

Answer 2

It sounds as though she has had a frightening experience - has she seen a TV show or a movie that showed something of the sort? Or even a news clip? You can help her by reassuring her, but of course you will have already done that. The next thing you can do is to give her a personal flashlight -- a little squeeze light that she can keep with her, to reassure herself that no one is hiding in the dark.
Other things you can do are to sit in the dark with her, look out the window, watch the moon, identify some of the stellar constellations, look at the skyline, watch planes go by and make up stories about where they are going and who is on board, and identify buildings, again making up stories about who is in these buildings and what they are doing. All these things will help her feel more comfortable in the dark.
If none of this helps, get some professional help for her, before the fear becomes too deeply ingrained.
Good luck to you both!

Answer 3

Sometimes when the child so small get illusions or has pre formed beliefs, it is believed to have some relation with his/her past incarnation which is still persisting in the sub conscious mind and interfering in the next life (this birth). As and when the child forgets that past life's related incident, she may become normal.

Try to give the child Ganga Jal at night before sleeping, prayer
will also certainly help.

Make the child believe that God is the most powerful of all and greatest of all. If God is with her then no potential danger will ever be able to even come around her. Make this beleif very strong and let the child recite prayers esp Hanuman Chalisa

Answer 4

So much fear in the world these days!

It's better to go through fearful experiences than avoid them. Ask her where the man is, have her look for him while you are there. Talk to her about it. What would she do if there WAS a man hiding? How would she handle it (scream, talk to him, jump out the window, etc). That can give her back a little sense of control. Ask her what would happen if she WAS kidknapped? Better to think it through than for it to be a terrifying uncertainty. And find and give her facts about kidknapping and how genuinely rare it is. That won't change the fear right away, but it does help in the long-term, because it will change the meaning she makes of things. I used to be afraid of flying and learning how flying isn't all that dangerous (much, much safer than driving) didn't change my fear, but it helped me understand it as only fear. It took flying more regularly for it to become more routine.

Answer 5

I was very afraid that people were going to come rob our house in the middle of the night up untill I was about 13. Age is what ended my phobia. If it is something that is causing a major issue ther is always counciling.

Answer 6

when i was 12 my brother and i were caught in the middle of an attempted kidnapping on the both of us. this happened to us on the same block in which we lived. i was so afraid that night that i wouldn't even sleep in my room. i slept in the living room looking out the window making sure they weren't coming back. sadly my parents only let us fear them for a few days then life went on as usual. it took me a long time to get over that and i always believed they could just come right in my room and get me. the only thing that really got me through that was....JESUS! i prayed to him to have my fear removed and prayed that those men would not get the chance to ever hurt a child. tell you daughter that you love her, let her be afraid as long as she wants to. let her know you will be right there in the house for her... and that jesus sleeps with her every night and protects her...tell her he lives in her heart...i wish you and your daughter the best of luck.

Answer 7

I hate to say this but maybe she is trying to tell you in a nice way some man living in the house tried to mess with her in the bed. I would check out all the men in your life. Or maybe she knows someone that this is happening to.

Answer 8

Every night dim the lights a little more but stay with her. Talk and stuff while she is trying to get sleepy. It is a great bonding experience and she will see that you care. Talk about things that are fun but not too fun you are trying to get her to sleep.

Answer 9

when she comes to you and says she is scared, take her back into the dark room then tell her nothing is there, and walk around with her and show her everything is ok. then once you do that, turn the lights on and show her again, it might help her..

Answer 10

What is wrong with leaving the light on for your child what is the big deal. Do no switch her bedroom light off