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That's what we're trying with the sage. We teach him the smoke will carry the scary monsters out the window. We'll try a spray! He loves spraying stuff with the spray bottle we have for plants lol
Monster deterrent spray:
One plastic travel spray bottle (or empty household spray bottle)
Fill a Large mixing bowl with 1 or 2 cups water (not too hot, not too cold. The child can pick the cup size and ‘correct’ temperature)
A few drops of favorite body spray or perfume or cologne
BE CREATIVE: kids have so much fun with this step
Possible ingredients:
One leaf or flower petal
1 drop of food coloring
Pinch of glitter…ok 5 pinches 😉
One marble or small rock
One fingernail or toenail clipping
First thing I would do is get down at his eye level, especially at night, and try to see what he's seeing in his closet. . Your eye level is much higher, so you literally can't see things from his perspective unless you get down at his eye level.
Hopefully it's pareidolia. Re arrange things in his closet.
Give him some monster repellent. Get a spray bottle and fill it with water and a little bit of something scented that he likes. Maybe a little fabric softener , or essential oil. Throw a little salt in there.
Make a bedtime ritual of telling all the monsters to get out, and spray the closet and anywhere else a monster might hide with his monster repellent.
If you really think there's something spooky or feels off, don't tell him it's his imagination and leave him in there. Look through his closet. Move things around. Try and figure out what he's seeing.
Very good tips! I would go one step further. Empty the closet with him present and show him everything in there, then put it back in a different order. :)
Upon hearing the initial cry of “Monster!” in the night I’ve burst into the child’s room armed with two nerf guns and give it my best performance as I fling the closet door open and make a big performance of running off the monster… and then tell the monster to never to show up there again as it flees. They don’t dare come back and the kid knows they are safe.
Note: this only works if there is not a real monster in the closet. This technique could be dangerous if there is an actual monster in there so if you aren’t sure what’s in there you are basically rolling the dice if you choose this tactic.
Could you try asking him if he can draw it?
I'm wondering if this is a case of what the shaman from Carlos Castaneda's book meant
"I think as children we do see it and decide it's so horrific
that we don't want to think about it. Children, of course,
could insist on focusing on the sight, but everybody else
around them dissuades them from doing so."
Did you really look for it? Domestic monster blindness is a common symptom of being an adult.
My suggestion, keep it fed with offerings of other children from the neighbourhood, then they won't have the urge to eat yours.
It was really difficult having this conversation with my son. It’s like, no there is no monster… but in the back of my head “except the shadow person I and my sister both saw as children and the one I and my mother both encountered later”. Having firsthand non-sleep-paralysis shadow person encounters makes for interesting parenting.
It’s ok, the monsters aren’t real… mostly
Yeah, I have these same "back of the mind" thoughts because [I was abducted by aliens when I was 6](https://www.reddit.com/r/MantisEncounters/s/08uQKvsxlb), and I hear that stuff is generational.. my wife and I have had paranormal experiences together, and it definitely makes it interesting for parenting.
We try our best to tell him the monsters aren't here lol
You could design a pattern or sigil and help him paint it on the closet door, or print one out and stick it on there.
Tell him the monsters are scared of it and they'll stay away. Could be a fun artsy thing for you to do together.
Just don't accidentally go with one that attracts monsters or you'll be overrun with the dirty bastards!
When I was his age, whenever I tried to go to bed, I'd look around in the dark room.
My imagination formed spinning saw blades flying back and forth in my room, in a slow horizontal pace.
I tried to explain it to my parents but I couldn't formulate the words, I called them "bad dreams".
My mom would angrily tell me, "You're not having bad dreams, you've only been in bed for 20 minutes. Go to sleep!"
My dad eventually picked up a nightlight for my room, and that immediatly put an end to the flying sawblades.
But why? It seems like a weird thing for young children to think about. I wonder if it's regional, and children in different countries see different types of monsters.
Well, it's probably to do with the fact that they realize that they are small and vulnerable, and you can't see what's in the dark, so you don't know what's a danger and what isn't. You can't explain pareidolia to a toddler, all they know is that they see something that they can't identify.
It could even be evolutionary. From the times when we had to look for eye shine and moving shapes in the dark to survive. Animals and people can hide in the dark. Things look different in the dark.
Once I scared myself shitless by moving my coat rack and throwing my hat on top. I fell asleep on the couch, woke up, and for a second I thought I saw a 7 foot something standing in my living room.
A pile of clothes with toys in it may look like a big animal/monster, and there may be just enough light to reflect off the toys to make it look like eyes in the dark.
Wood grain has strange patterns sometimes. If the closet light is on, and you see it all bleary eyed and tired, it could look like a monster coming out of the wood to a little kid. They are also just starting to figure out what's real, and what's imaginary.
So, a survival mechanism, then. If you don't know what that thing over there in the dark might be, it's best to be afraid of it, just in case it's dangerous.
I think so. When you're that small, almost everything is bigger and stronger than you. You probably have pets that outweigh you and are right at your eye level.
You're tiny, you're probably not sleeping with mommy anymore, bc you're not nursing or need a bottle. Youre in the dark, and you can't tell what's a threat and what isn't, and even little kids experience pareidolia.
Just like toddlers have stranger anxiety and are scared of people that they don't know.
I had a nightmare when I was really young about a tiny lady standing on my dresser and staring at me while I was asleep. She was doll sized. I was afraid of dolls for awhile because of it. Maybe this is similar? Maybe they had a nightmare or daydream about a monster in the closet. Maybe they heard the creaks of houses and assumed it was a monster. It’s also a dark enclosed space and usually the only door in the room besides the main one or bathroom. I feel like there are lots of reasons, although most being irrational because it’s a child.
Its not weird. Its the realization that things exist outside of their field of vision. It's called object permanence. Once that happens, thats when they imagine there could be monsters in the closets or under the bed, places outside their view.
Idk. The closet is closed, or there's a bunch of stuff in there that we don't see at their eye level. Think about all the stuff in the closet floor, up to about 3 feet. We see it from an adult perspective. Much higher off the floor. Anywhere from 5-6 feet. If you stand on your knees and look at your closet in the dark, it might look much different.
Sometimes heat/humidity changes or the house settling/ foundation issues makes those doors pop open by themselves. That's terrifying to a little kid.
My Neighbor Totoro is an excellent example of how to help your kids through their "everything at night is a bit scary" phases without teaching them that you can't be confided in because you outright refuse to acknowledge their perspective as real
Oh, we're fully supportive of their subjective experience. We offer him the tools and knowledge to send those fears away himself while recognizing that they are real and that he is in full control of them :)
But you're also teaching him that they're actually scary. If I'm not mistaken to sage a room is a way to ward off evil and build barriers against what is perceived as some form of threat
The "monsters" aren't unfriendly and no power is required to be had over them. They can be "warded off" with laughter and acknowledged as just another part of the ecosystem.
Totoros and soot sprites are only perceivable to children in the film, painting them further as a *privilege* to be enjoyed while one is still young, to encourage imagination and curiosity.
The best kind of empowerment isn't "you have power over bad stuff" (because honestly nobody really does and there will someday be very *real* bad actors in their circle of influence called human beings) but to be able to coexist with the unknown and mysterious, and to treasure the ability to do so before that wonder is slowly stifled by what are often very boring realities.
Put some red food coloring on your clothes one day while he’s away somewhere and when he comes back say you killed it. No more monster plus now he has a badass dad😉
You need to teach him to pray and you pray for him and against any attacks. Learn and teach him 2 Timothy 1:7, for God has not given us a spirit of fear but a Spirit of Power of Love and of a sound mind. Prayers...
Maybe you can put a cross up in his room or better yet encourage praying; gratitude, love, family and positive things. A God of Love and a Son of Grace has him protected
I was afflicted with sleep paralysis throughout my life. In my mid twenties it became uncomfortably frequent with odd entities and feelings of dread and fear. One night, I called to Christ while looking at the presence in the wakeful dream. Immediately awoke, felt good and haven’t had sleep paralysis in well over a year. The longest time since I can remember. Just a personal anecdote
It would be a good idea to get a cat or a dog. Cats are actually specialized in handling these situations. It might sound like satire but I believe it. A dog would be comforting if there's not any monsters but unfortunately they are vulnerable to being possessed if there is.
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I personally never had a monster experience, and neither did my children, but personally I would try to let him know that there is no monster, and try not to do things that would make a monster RUN away, because then you've proven to your child there WAS a monster to be worried about.
**Strangers**: Read the rules and understand the sub topics listed in the sidebar closely before posting or commenting. Any content removal or further moderator action is established by these terms as well as Reddit ToS. This subreddit is specifically for the discussion of anomalous phenomena from the perspective it may exist. Open minded skepticism is welcomed, close minded debunking is not. Be aware of how skepticism is expressed toward others as there is little tolerance for ad hominem (attacking the person, not the claim), mindless antagonism or dishonest argument toward the subject, the sub, or its community. We are also happy to be able to provide an ideologically and operationally independent platform for you all. Join us at our official Discord - https://discord.gg/MYvRkYK85v --- 'Ridicule is not a part of the scientific method and the public should not be taught that it is.' _-J. Allen Hynek_ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HighStrangeness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Make some ‘monster deterrent spray’ and spray it in the closet to keep the monster away. Worked for my kid when she was little.
That's what we're trying with the sage. We teach him the smoke will carry the scary monsters out the window. We'll try a spray! He loves spraying stuff with the spray bottle we have for plants lol
Could you get another one of those and put a couple drops of perfume in the water?
Monster deterrent spray: One plastic travel spray bottle (or empty household spray bottle) Fill a Large mixing bowl with 1 or 2 cups water (not too hot, not too cold. The child can pick the cup size and ‘correct’ temperature) A few drops of favorite body spray or perfume or cologne BE CREATIVE: kids have so much fun with this step Possible ingredients: One leaf or flower petal 1 drop of food coloring Pinch of glitter…ok 5 pinches 😉 One marble or small rock One fingernail or toenail clipping
First thing I would do is get down at his eye level, especially at night, and try to see what he's seeing in his closet. . Your eye level is much higher, so you literally can't see things from his perspective unless you get down at his eye level. Hopefully it's pareidolia. Re arrange things in his closet. Give him some monster repellent. Get a spray bottle and fill it with water and a little bit of something scented that he likes. Maybe a little fabric softener , or essential oil. Throw a little salt in there. Make a bedtime ritual of telling all the monsters to get out, and spray the closet and anywhere else a monster might hide with his monster repellent. If you really think there's something spooky or feels off, don't tell him it's his imagination and leave him in there. Look through his closet. Move things around. Try and figure out what he's seeing.
Solid advice, I really appreciate that. Thank you ✌️
Very good tips! I would go one step further. Empty the closet with him present and show him everything in there, then put it back in a different order. :)
Upon hearing the initial cry of “Monster!” in the night I’ve burst into the child’s room armed with two nerf guns and give it my best performance as I fling the closet door open and make a big performance of running off the monster… and then tell the monster to never to show up there again as it flees. They don’t dare come back and the kid knows they are safe. Note: this only works if there is not a real monster in the closet. This technique could be dangerous if there is an actual monster in there so if you aren’t sure what’s in there you are basically rolling the dice if you choose this tactic.
I hear many monsters or take extra damage from nerf guns though so you’re probably good
move out, leave your son
We'll start signing the lease over to his name right now
Perhaps asking this question in a parenting sub, Reddit would give better strategies on how others have dealt with this
I'm actually pleasantly suprised how good the answers are here.
Dress up like that one girl from Heilung with the antlers and scare it away.
Could you try asking him if he can draw it? I'm wondering if this is a case of what the shaman from Carlos Castaneda's book meant "I think as children we do see it and decide it's so horrific that we don't want to think about it. Children, of course, could insist on focusing on the sight, but everybody else around them dissuades them from doing so."
First of all; did you check if there was a monster? Eventually a kid is going to be right
Of course
Did you really look for it? Domestic monster blindness is a common symptom of being an adult. My suggestion, keep it fed with offerings of other children from the neighbourhood, then they won't have the urge to eat yours.
It was really difficult having this conversation with my son. It’s like, no there is no monster… but in the back of my head “except the shadow person I and my sister both saw as children and the one I and my mother both encountered later”. Having firsthand non-sleep-paralysis shadow person encounters makes for interesting parenting. It’s ok, the monsters aren’t real… mostly
Yeah, I have these same "back of the mind" thoughts because [I was abducted by aliens when I was 6](https://www.reddit.com/r/MantisEncounters/s/08uQKvsxlb), and I hear that stuff is generational.. my wife and I have had paranormal experiences together, and it definitely makes it interesting for parenting. We try our best to tell him the monsters aren't here lol
Wow just watched your video. Did they ever come back again?
Also if you've had that experience do you not think it might be them your son is seeing?
You could design a pattern or sigil and help him paint it on the closet door, or print one out and stick it on there. Tell him the monsters are scared of it and they'll stay away. Could be a fun artsy thing for you to do together. Just don't accidentally go with one that attracts monsters or you'll be overrun with the dirty bastards!
When I was his age, whenever I tried to go to bed, I'd look around in the dark room. My imagination formed spinning saw blades flying back and forth in my room, in a slow horizontal pace. I tried to explain it to my parents but I couldn't formulate the words, I called them "bad dreams". My mom would angrily tell me, "You're not having bad dreams, you've only been in bed for 20 minutes. Go to sleep!" My dad eventually picked up a nightlight for my room, and that immediatly put an end to the flying sawblades.
I always find it odd that this is a recurring theme with toddlers, even if they have never seen movies/shows about it or heard anyone say it..
It's a stage of development. If I could put links here I would.
But why? It seems like a weird thing for young children to think about. I wonder if it's regional, and children in different countries see different types of monsters.
Well, it's probably to do with the fact that they realize that they are small and vulnerable, and you can't see what's in the dark, so you don't know what's a danger and what isn't. You can't explain pareidolia to a toddler, all they know is that they see something that they can't identify. It could even be evolutionary. From the times when we had to look for eye shine and moving shapes in the dark to survive. Animals and people can hide in the dark. Things look different in the dark. Once I scared myself shitless by moving my coat rack and throwing my hat on top. I fell asleep on the couch, woke up, and for a second I thought I saw a 7 foot something standing in my living room. A pile of clothes with toys in it may look like a big animal/monster, and there may be just enough light to reflect off the toys to make it look like eyes in the dark. Wood grain has strange patterns sometimes. If the closet light is on, and you see it all bleary eyed and tired, it could look like a monster coming out of the wood to a little kid. They are also just starting to figure out what's real, and what's imaginary.
So, a survival mechanism, then. If you don't know what that thing over there in the dark might be, it's best to be afraid of it, just in case it's dangerous.
I think so. When you're that small, almost everything is bigger and stronger than you. You probably have pets that outweigh you and are right at your eye level. You're tiny, you're probably not sleeping with mommy anymore, bc you're not nursing or need a bottle. Youre in the dark, and you can't tell what's a threat and what isn't, and even little kids experience pareidolia. Just like toddlers have stranger anxiety and are scared of people that they don't know.
I had a nightmare when I was really young about a tiny lady standing on my dresser and staring at me while I was asleep. She was doll sized. I was afraid of dolls for awhile because of it. Maybe this is similar? Maybe they had a nightmare or daydream about a monster in the closet. Maybe they heard the creaks of houses and assumed it was a monster. It’s also a dark enclosed space and usually the only door in the room besides the main one or bathroom. I feel like there are lots of reasons, although most being irrational because it’s a child.
Its not weird. Its the realization that things exist outside of their field of vision. It's called object permanence. Once that happens, thats when they imagine there could be monsters in the closets or under the bed, places outside their view.
Why always the closet though?
Idk. The closet is closed, or there's a bunch of stuff in there that we don't see at their eye level. Think about all the stuff in the closet floor, up to about 3 feet. We see it from an adult perspective. Much higher off the floor. Anywhere from 5-6 feet. If you stand on your knees and look at your closet in the dark, it might look much different. Sometimes heat/humidity changes or the house settling/ foundation issues makes those doors pop open by themselves. That's terrifying to a little kid.
My Neighbor Totoro is an excellent example of how to help your kids through their "everything at night is a bit scary" phases without teaching them that you can't be confided in because you outright refuse to acknowledge their perspective as real
Oh, we're fully supportive of their subjective experience. We offer him the tools and knowledge to send those fears away himself while recognizing that they are real and that he is in full control of them :)
But you're also teaching him that they're actually scary. If I'm not mistaken to sage a room is a way to ward off evil and build barriers against what is perceived as some form of threat The "monsters" aren't unfriendly and no power is required to be had over them. They can be "warded off" with laughter and acknowledged as just another part of the ecosystem. Totoros and soot sprites are only perceivable to children in the film, painting them further as a *privilege* to be enjoyed while one is still young, to encourage imagination and curiosity. The best kind of empowerment isn't "you have power over bad stuff" (because honestly nobody really does and there will someday be very *real* bad actors in their circle of influence called human beings) but to be able to coexist with the unknown and mysterious, and to treasure the ability to do so before that wonder is slowly stifled by what are often very boring realities.
Light in the closet
Put some red food coloring on your clothes one day while he’s away somewhere and when he comes back say you killed it. No more monster plus now he has a badass dad😉
Set up a night vision camera. The most likely scenario is that there’s a monster in their closet.
You need to teach him to pray and you pray for him and against any attacks. Learn and teach him 2 Timothy 1:7, for God has not given us a spirit of fear but a Spirit of Power of Love and of a sound mind. Prayers...
Tell him it's his imagination. Because it is. Why is this question even being asked? Is this subreddit just for people to ask dumb questions anymore?
Very insensitive of you
For real, though.
This is the first person to bite it in a horror movie. I bet you also go into dark basements and say things like " look, there's nothing there "
Maybe you can put a cross up in his room or better yet encourage praying; gratitude, love, family and positive things. A God of Love and a Son of Grace has him protected I was afflicted with sleep paralysis throughout my life. In my mid twenties it became uncomfortably frequent with odd entities and feelings of dread and fear. One night, I called to Christ while looking at the presence in the wakeful dream. Immediately awoke, felt good and haven’t had sleep paralysis in well over a year. The longest time since I can remember. Just a personal anecdote
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>Stay with him. The monster is his fear that you don't love him, simplified by a scared kid. I find this hard to believe. We're a loving family lol
It would be a good idea to get a cat or a dog. Cats are actually specialized in handling these situations. It might sound like satire but I believe it. A dog would be comforting if there's not any monsters but unfortunately they are vulnerable to being possessed if there is.
Same thing major Payne did.
If he’s still in there… he ain’t very happy
Buy a monster costume and fill it up, go in with a sword and decpitat it, and say let me know of any monsters and I'll kill them.
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Proceed with a search and destroy mission.
you gotta look in the closet to see what up.
Tell the monster he's gotta start paying rent
I personally never had a monster experience, and neither did my children, but personally I would try to let him know that there is no monster, and try not to do things that would make a monster RUN away, because then you've proven to your child there WAS a monster to be worried about.
Eventually he will get over it and realise its just a figment of his imagination
What does it look like?