Talking To Your Child About The Very Real Monsters Living Under Their Bed
Only you and the demons that live under their mattress really know your child, so it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what you can expect
Santa Claus. The Easter Bunny. Meritocracy as a rule rather than the exception. Parenting is a minefield of little lies we tell our kids to ease their passage into adulthood. I say “we” but I mean “you” — I’m not having kids. However, I have had a couple of parents in my day and I think that makes me more than qualified to dispense advice on one of child-rearing’s greatest challenges: how to let your offspring know that the monster under the bed is real.
It’s a touchy subject and reactions may vary — I won’t lie to you. Only you and the demons that live under their mattress really know your child, so it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what you can expect. However, things tend to unfold in one of a few ways.
Resignation
Some kids more-or-less work things out on their own. After a couple of years, “Mom had a sinus infection and went looking for her Sudafed under your bed” wears thin as an excuse for the fresh trail of mucus that dampens the carpet every morning. In some ways, these are the easiest because the worst you’ll have to deal with at the time is an eye-roll and a sarcastic “Yeah Dad, I really…
