A true story: When my daughter, Amy, was a pre-teen, she became anxious about going to sleep because of fears of dying in the middle of the night. When I tucked her in (I was her preferred tucker-inner), she would tell me, usually tearfully, that she didn’t want to go to sleep for fear of never waking up. As a good daddy is supposed to do, I would remain in her bedroom, explaining and reassuring, upwards of 30 minutes until she gave the “all clear.”
Parenting Advice with John Rosemond: No talking can be the cure for common childhood fears