For Parents of Scared Children: The Real Way to Defeat Monsters Inc

Chad Cramer has written a a book for parents of young children that offers practical and theological help for helping children overcome a fear of the dark.

Parents whose children are afraid of the dark have a couple of options. One choice would be to expose the inner workings of the monster industry so that your child realizes that every fear of the dark is really a fuzzy friend. The video at the end of this post is one resource available online if you choose that strategy.

And – – if the Monsters Inc. system works for you – – well, use it. Having said that, the more theologically minded parent may want to consider using Chad Cramer’s book, Lights Out!: Helping Your Kids Overcome Their Fear of the Dark. Cramer combines the biblical basis for theological insights (such as “God sees everything”) with practical tips for teaching children those important truths about overcoming a fear of the dark. One of Cramer’s ideas is to use games such as a Hide and Seek to remind children that even though we can hide from one another we can’t hide from God. He understands how to teach children. The book is full of Bible references. There are many ideas in this book.

Even as Cramer focuses on the subject of children who are afraid of the dark, he provides a model for how parents can think through many different parenting issues. He has a number of appendices that suggest different teaching techniques for parents regardless of whether the children are afraid of the monsters industry. Indeed, the added value of this book is the best part of all. It models how to think both theologically and practically about an every night issue.