Parenting Pointers: Kids and Monsters

We've been very fortunate that our girls aren't really big on scary monsters under the bed or anything like that. Thanks in part, I think, to the way my husband and I talk about monsters, they aren't really scary, they're a game.

If you have a child going through a monster phase, there are a lot of things you can do to help ease the monster fears. Read books or watch that make monsters funny, like Monsters Inc. where the monsters are afraid of a little girl; or Where the Wild Things Are where the boy plays with the monsters and has fun. Talk about times when you're scared as an adult, and how it's ok to be scared, but it's important to know that there are people to keep them safe. If you're religious, talk about God and how he can help protect kids (or watch VeggieTales "Where's God When I'm Scared?"). Or have them do something to visualize conquering their fears, like drawing the monster they see under the bed, then drawing themselves conquering it in some way. Monsters don't have to be scary.

That's the whole theory behind the book Marlow and the Monster - that they aren't anything to be scared of, they're silly. The book is really cute, with black-and-white drawings and a brightly-colored, silly-looking monster. Marlow has a monster problem, which he tries to pass off to his sister, as any brother would! The author, Sharon Cramer, is also the author of the Cougar Cub Tales books.

For this week, you can also get Marlow and the Monster (Kindle Edition) for free!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book to facilitate this review.