An Imaginary Problem Requires an Imaginary Solution
Fighting Monsters at Night
The Monster Problem
Have you ever tried to explain to your scared kid, at bedtime, that monsters aren’t real? How about dinosaurs? Does it help that they all died out?
It didn’t matter to my kids whether they were real or not. It felt real. I needed a strategy that would let me leave their bedrooms and move on with my night. Then I remembered THE PLUNGER!
An Imaginary Problem Requires an Imaginary Solution
When I was a kid, I knew that if I stuck even one toe over the edge of the bed, an alligator would bite it. And the monsters in my closet knew just when I was alone.
“I’m scared of monsters!” I would call, from my bed. My dad would race upstairs and confidently place the toilet plunger beside my bed.
“This will protect you,” he’d assure me. He never told me how, but it worked. I could fall asleep.
The Plunger Still Works
My daughter, Casey, recently started to worry about monsters at bedtime. I tried to explain that monsters weren’t real. Of course, it didn’t work. Then I told her about my dad’s solution. She was very excited. Now, I’m more of a germaphobe than my dad was, and I have a strict, “Don’t touch that plunger” policy. But, I did have some extra plungers from de-clogging basement sinks. It started with one, but of course, her twin, Zach, also wanted one. Then Casey needed one for her doll, and Zach needed a second one to make it even. The kids excitedly carried plungers with them everywhere for a day. Four plungers now stand proudly by their beds, standing guard against monsters and dinosaurs. I wasn’t sure if they forgot about them for a while. Then, several days later, Casey gathered them all up to go into my dark room. Just tonight, Casey told me confidently, “The Plungers will keep us safe.” I never told them how, but it worked!
Fighting Monsters in the Day
When my oldest daughter, Robin, was a toddler, she worried about monsters, even in the day. She was afraid to let me leave a room. I tried to explain that monsters weren’t real. I tried to explain that she was safe in her house. It didn’t work.
A concrete thinker needs a concrete solution
I decided to take her to meet the real people who protect us from monsters: the police. I forgot it was Sunday, though, and the police station doors were locked. We ended up finding a retired police officer, with an official-looking car, in the grocery store parking lot. He was very kind and described how police patrol the streets to make sure there are no monsters in town. Robin felt a lot better.
In gratitude, we made cookies and brought them to the local police station, on a different day.
A slightly related side story
When my niece was worried, at bedtime, that Rhinos might have escaped from the zoo, my sister called the British Columbia Zoo (which was still open due to the time difference) and a very nice lady assured them that no animals had escaped from the zoo. It made my niece feel much better.
Visit the Jacob Hillerby Memorial Bursary at Renison College by Clicking Here.
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