Over the holiday, my family and I met at our normal halfway point in between Eastern Virginia and Western Tennessee. Also some friends of ours with their children came with us also. Smack dab in the Smoky Mountains we shared laughter and cheer but without my knowledge also some fear was shared between the children. During their nights of getting reacquainted with friends and cousins, the idea of telling ghost stories was brought up. Bloody Mary was mentioned along with a very unfriendly wolf.
What was once a pleasurable time of the day has turned into a nightmare. Instead of kisses and chimes of "See you in the morning," it has turned into dagger hugs and "Please let me sleep with you, I can't stop thinking about Bloody Mary!!"
As as child, I can remember the stories that were told between cousins and friends that would haunt my images before bed. Imagining a blood streaked woman with deranged hair would leap from the mirror and claw me until my skin bled was frighting to me. Instead of peaceful dreams of kittens and bubbly birds, haunting images rocked me from my sleep and then there was no way I would return to "night night" land. Instead, I would run to my parents' bed and hold fast to mom or dad's arms and wish I could remember the happy ideas before the stories of death and fear ached in my head.
Why do these stories continue? What is the purpose of exposing fear from one child to another, especially fear from things that are made up?
As a parent that has never dealt with these fears from her children, it's quite disheartening. If you have ever dealt with this, what was your way used to help ease the fears?
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