Does your child consistently wake you up in the middle of the night because they're deathly afraid of the dark or the monsters under the bed? You may think that chasing "the monster" away or just leaving the lights on are the right course of action, but it's actually more complicated than that.

Molly and Blaire discuss:

Why so many people (adults and kids!) are scared of the dark

The true secret to banishing your child's fears

Why horror movies are actually soothing (for some of us)

The most important thing you can do is validate your child's fear without shaming or judging them. Explain that you have your own fears, and start an open conversation about the root causes of their fears in order to address them.

Links!

Daryl Austin for USA Today: "More Americans than ever are afraid of the dark, experts say. Here's why."

Nama Winston for ABC Everyday: "I've made my child afraid of the dark. How do I fix it?"

Parenting.com: "Ask Dr. Sears: Mashing Monster Fears"

"Bedtime Stories - Superheroes!" podcast

Special thanks to our sponsors for this month:

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