Q. What can you do if your child seems to be more anxious than usual and now wants to sleep in your bed every night?
A. I let my child set up a sleep area on the floor of my bedroom and let her know that she can come into my room, but not in my bed. My goal was to offer her the extra security she needed at the time while maintaining my own comfort level. I made sure the area was not too comfortable as my ultimate goal was to get her back into her own cozy bed.
As a parent what have you done to help you child at bedtime? We welcome all comments and stategies. Please feel free to share this post with your friends.
-Stress Free Kids
I am having that same problem with my 8 year old son. He does not want me to talk to any male friends. He thinks all my focus should be on him but it can’t be because I have two more children. He wants to sleep in my bed so what should i do?
Tameria,
Frequently, an older child may experience “separation anxiety” and want to sleep with a parent. As the parent, it is important to set clear boundaries with your children. Part of self-nurturing is teaching your children that they must sleep in their own bed at night. If they are anxious about this, firmly tell them that you will use a “three-and-out” rule. You will come into their room and spend five minutes soothing them and then leave. You will come back to the child’s room again in five minutes and re-connnect. You may want to do this a third time, with the understanding that once you leave your child, he/she must self-nurture by reading, listening to music or playing games in his room until tired. If your child comes out of the room, accept no excuses and return him to his room immediately. Part of growing up is learning how to meet our own needs without support. Kids really understand this, but will exploit a parents who overfunctions. james p krehbiel, Troubled Childhood, Triumphant Life