Traumatized child

[Nikki]

The entire kindergarten class has been playing "catch the leprechaun". They read leprehaun books, are making leprechaun traps, etc. They even have someone go on the class while the kids are at lunch and put certain chairs up on the table or throw paper around and make a small mess. Then when the kids come back, the teachers tell them that the leprechaun must have been in their classroom. All of the kids (except mine) are having a blast with it and are all pumped up to see who can catch the leprechaun in their homemade traps.

For the past week, Courtney has been wanting to sleep with us and I wasn't sure why...I'm beginning to understand now though.

Today when I went to her class to pick her up for a dr. appt (for stomach pain. she's constipated really bad and it could be stemming from this whole leprechaun thing since the pain started about a week ago. She went through this before starting Kindergarten, but it went away after the first week or two. ), the teacher took me aside to talk to me. I guess that the "leprechaun" put the teachers chairs up on the desks and traced it's shadow with chalk. Then, the leprechaun came on the intercom and told the kids he was in the school. Courtney was PETRIFIED. So much that they ended up having to bring in a specialist to talk to her and help calm her down. So, I talked to the doctor and she agreed that I needed to tell Courtney that leprechauns were not real. I explained that it's just pretend like fairys and monsters. I told her that it's just a "game" and not to tell the other kids, but that the "leprechaun" was actually one of the other teachers. A teacher was playing the part of a leprechaun and making the messes, putting the chairs up and talking on the intercom. She acted like she understood, but she doesn't.

We went to the grocery store and they went to say something over the intercom and she went balistic....said she thought it was the leprechaun.

Then, I took her to Target and showed her greeting cards with pictures of leprechauns and once again explained that they were pretend. I asked her if the monsters off of Monsters Inc were real and she said "No", so I told her leprechauns are the same way....just pretend.

Tonight she won't lay in her own bed. She's in with Kailey. When she was getting her bath, she started screaming and crying for me to come wash her and get her out. I told her that she could wash herself like she normally did and i would help her dry off if she wanted me to when she was finished. That didn't work. She was screaming and crying for me to hurry and when I went in, she looked like she had seen a ghost or something.

I feel so sorry for her, but I don't know how to get her to understand that it's all pretend. She's not scared of Santa. That's another thing....she asked if the leprechaun was just a person dressed in a costume and I told her that the school might have someone play a leprechaun, but that there were no such things as REAL ones.

What the heck am I supposed to do? This is affecting her health now and really traumatizing her emotionally. I can't tell the teacher not to do the leprechaun thing because all of the other kids are having a blast with it. The leprechaun is doing silly stuff. He even rapped a song and told a story. I can't figure this out and neither can the teachers.

 

[destiny]

I would have a problem with this sort of thing even if my child seemed fine with it.
I was taught early in my walk with God that certain things like this that are seemingly 'fun' 'fantasy' and harmless, can indeed have spiritual meaning that can be related to the demonic realm.

 

[Featherbop]

Nikki,

One thing you could do is to get a spraybottle, and put water in it, give it to Courtney, and say it is "Leprechaun repellent", and let her keep it with her so she can be safe from the leprechaun. You may not want to do this, however, if you feel it would be dishonest. This may also may her dependant on the "repellent". So, this may not be a good idea.

Another thing you could do is take Courtney to her school, and let her talk with the person pretending to a leprechaun on the intercom. This may convince her that there is no leprechaun.

Other than that, you can try to give her a positive image of leprechauns in order to ease her fear. For example, get a box of lucky charms, and show her that.

I wouldn't worry too much, if I were you, it should pass.


Marck

 

[Nikki]

I would have a problem with this sort of thing even if my child seemed fine with it.
I was taught early in my walk with God that certain things like this that are seemingly 'fun' 'fantasy' and harmless, can indeed have spiritual meaning that can be related to the demonic realm.

We've told her it's all pretend. Courtney is a very shy child and very reserved. I don't know why. The only reason I can think of is that she takes after my husband. He's shy and reserved. But, I'm having a hard time understanding why she has such a fear of leprechauns. She keeps saying that the one in her book is real. :-?

I don't think fantasy is harmless. I had a WILD imagination as a child and I'm grateful for that. I remember one time that I saw Santa flying through the sky. I still to this day can remember that vividly, but of course, I know it was pretend and my imagination running wild... : I would also try to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow each time it rained and there was one. I was told that the leprechauns would share some of the gold with whoever got there first. I would run and run through the woods as fast as I can so I could get to it. Of course, by time I got to where I thought the end was, it was gone. I was really weird now that I think about it.
:

I know the whole Santa, Easter Bunny, etc thing is touchy and I've been through that before. The only thing I'm asking for here is advice on what can help my child get over this fear. Someone recommended making a book at home about a leprechaun that helped a family in a positive way (such as helping a child make a new friend or something). The only thing about doing that is that I'm afraid it will confuse her since we already told her that leprechauns are fake.

 

[Quath]

My ex-girlfriend had a daughter that was scared of Chucky Cheese even though she knew it was a man in a costume. She was also scared of a ficticious character named "Tye Dye." She made her up and was scared to death of her.

So our rational mind knows it is false. But watch a scary movie and then go to your garage with the lings out and see how jumpy you are. So you need to help her emotional side to deal with it.

I think Darck Marck had a good idea with the spray bottle. She will know it is not real but it is like a secuity blanket. Sometimes a new spin on the perspective helps. My step daughter was scared of ghosts. Now she just believes that there are good ghosts. So maybe commercials of Lucky Charms or say something like "If it were real, I bet it is a friendly Leprechaun that is looking for someone to be friends with." Or let her watch "Monsters Inc."

Eventually she will probably grow out of it. Watch how she deals with it and you may know how to help her if she gets scared other things like clowns or Elvis impersonators.

Quath

 

[Nikki]

I love the spray bottle idea. My hubby doesn't though. :-? He said that it's like saying that it IS real. I agree, but at the same time...disagree. I want to do anything to make her not be so scared. I couldn't put water in it and let her take it to school though because she would probably spray it and another child might slip on the water. I have thought about putting glitter in it and saying it's leprechaun repellant.

I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm anxious to find out how she did today. I'm going to talk to her teacher in the morning.

 

[A_Sensitive]

All children need fantasy and magic in their lives, reality soon catches up with them, but some kids are a little sensitive about certain things and do need to toughen up a bit. I remember being scared witless by an ugly fish in the National Geographical magazine as a kid, but took witches, wizards and monsters in my stride! LOL!!!

 

[Julian Pyke]

Well, I could agree that it could effect the spiratual realm, btu you must remember we are dealing with children.

Clidren have WILD imaginations. But, how about, reading to you child Psalmds 91 Morning AND night, before she goes to school and bed. (Let her sleep with you for a while, but after a small while tell her that its time for her to return to her bed)

Psalms 91 helped my fear out ALOT!!!!

And besides giving her leprican releppant, tell her to just say "In the name of Jesus, I command you to stay away!"

 

[Nikki]

Well, I could agree that it could effect the spiratual realm, btu you must remember we are dealing with children.

Clidren have WILD imaginations. But, how about, reading to you child Psalmds 91 Morning AND night, before she goes to school and bed. (Let her sleep with you for a while, but after a small while tell her that its time for her to return to her bed)

Psalms 91 helped my fear out ALOT!!!!

And besides giving her leprican releppant, tell her to just say "In the name of Jesus, I command you to stay away!"

Thankfully all it took was for St. Patricks Day to pass. Even though I kept telling her that the leprechaun was fake, she still believes in it. I finally just said "The leprechaun is gone. He went back home and won't ever come back". Hopefully by next year, she'll understand that he really isn't real.

The only thing I still notice with her is that she freaks out if I close the door when she's taking a bath. I've asked her what she's so afraid of and she said nothing. The fear started over the whoe leprechaun thing though so I know that's what it is. Oh well.....what can ya do? :-?

 

[Julian Pyke]

Hmm... then while she is taking a bath read to her Psalms 91... read it before you go to bed too. Kids have nightmares, and I use to have them nightly,until i read that 7 days in a row beofre I went to bed, they stopped instantly. Psalms 91 really works!