Normal Anxiety?

[metamorphosis]

Now, what is wrong with being a damn yankee?  LOL

People in Arkansas keep calling me that...... is it such a bad thing?
 :)

My daughter developed a sudden fear of having her closet door open when she goes to bed at night.  She also goes and sleeps in her dad's bed almost every night when she is there.  I personally think that it is because he lets her watch scary movies at his house. (Also he lets her sleep there whereas I nipped it in the bud the first few times she tried it at my house.)
But as they said before, you know your child and if you think it may be something more serious, have it checked out.  Don't let your fear of over-reacting stop you from helping your child if he needs it.

[Troubledmom]

Story about my son: Age at the time 6 years old

Son went to the bathroom late at night (about midnight we are guessing), he used the downstairs bathroom that locked on it's own occassionally (gotta love houses built in the late 1800's) and you would have to wiggle and jiggle and fuss with to get it unlocked.

Son could not get the door open and was actually afraid he would be in trouble for using the down stairs bathroom instead of the one off his bedroom upstairs.

So the child falls asleep on the bathroom floor. Awakens again about 3 am absolutly terrified (waking up in a strange place when you are 6 can be frightening for sure). He had a screaming, yelling HORRID fit...

Son was afraid to go into the bathroom after that, he was afraid to go to sleep without his night light, he didn't want to be alone in a room. We went through this for almos 3 months before he settled down again after TONS of reassurances and a change of the door knob so it couldn't lock on its own anymore :)

TM

[sherrie ohio]

Does your son have an older sibling,or cousin at his mothers?They may being filling his head with thoughts of scarey things in the dark.My step-daughter thinks it's funny to turn lights out and tell my younger child that there is so and so scarey things after him.And lots of scarey stories about ghost,vampires and evil people.We have caught her doing this a few times.Now her sibling wont go into a room thats not lit up with a light.If our son needs to go to the restroom i now have to turn the light on for him,before he will go in.Your child may have another older child at his mothers filling his head with scarey thoughts!

[penny]

We had the same problem with my step son. You could not close any doors. Bathroom, upstairs to the bedrooms, if he even heard the door click he would come running and be totally freaked out. Took him to Social Services and he told them that his mom locked him in his room while she went to the store.(Probably the bar) We have taken him there before for bruises, the size of a mans boot, 4 broken arms, being under weight, he weighs 75 lbs, he will be 13 in Dec. ALL Reports come back unfounded. With out a report of abuse, you have no chance in court. If you live somewhat close to her, start doing some spying. If she leaves the house to go out and you know your son is there, call the police and report a child left alone. They will show up. It is kinda of hard for us we live 1500 miles away.  She always has an excuse for everything.