SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – Halloween is no joke for some kids.
“But sometimes when people dress up in scary costumes it kind of scares me,” said five-year-old Evalis Morales.
“Fear is huge with this age group,” said The Children’s Center Executive Director Dr. Douglas Goldsmith.
The US Department of Health and Human Services says 13% of children suffer from some sort of anxiety like phobias or obsessive compulsive disorder. And frightening experiences could make them even worse.
“Going down a dark hallway to their bedroom is terrifying. They’re sure that someone is going to jump out and get them. And if we’re taking that kid to a spook alley or one of these haunted theme houses where that’s exactly what happens, all we’re doing is convincing them that the world is a scary place,” said Goldsmith.
Evalis Morales has a three-year-old little brother.
“He still sleeps with a night light. He's afraid of the dark,” said their dad Efren Morales.
Goldsmith says it is very important to know if your child is ready to decipher between what is and isn’t real. He’s seen cases where kids too young to know the difference have actually acted out horror scenes.
“We have had children do that. And we've had children show up at the end of parents' beds with knives saying, ‘hey, I'm going to stab you,’” said Goldsmith.
Goldsmith says to give your child a way out of going to spooky activities so they don’t feel peer pressured to go. He suggests telling the other friends that he/she can’t go because there’s too much homework to do or maybe family is coming over.
Also, he says, work as a team against your child’s fears. Something Morales says he does all the time.
“Oh, of course, definitely. Tell him it's just make believe. It's not real. It's just Halloween. Have fun,” said Morales.
Goldsmith says to be very communicative with your kids over their fears and try to speak in their language. Like, ‘what about the Boogey Man is scary?’
“I think about something that might be spooky or scary in my dreams,” said Morales’s 5-year-old daughter Evalis.
And most importantly be there for your kids. The Morales family has their way of comforting their kids.
“They'll say God will always protect you every night when you pray,” said Evalis.
Goldsmith says you shouldn’t push your kids into the fright zone too early because it is a baby step process getting rid of their fears. He says if they plunge too soon it could lead to anxiety and weeks of night terrors and sleeplessness for both kids and parents.
