User:Barbara (WVS)/draft/Monsters under the bed

Monsters under the bed is cultural belief and fear held by children that there is a monster under the bed and it is most often associated with the dark. “'It’s no surprise that infants have some fear of the dark. Throughout our evolutionary history, the dark was dangerous',” Some believe that the cause of fear in children may be exposure to horror films or because peers believe the same. This fear might also be related to use of storytelling to the young that says there is a boogeyman. Fear of monsters under the bed begins at ages 4-5. Separation anxiety may also play a role.

There may be some adaptive advantage to this fear. The fear of the dark may be deeply ingrained and gave protection to those who learned to avoid such places. Others believe that the fear of the dark is a learned behavior. Many adults recall having this same fear when they were children. This fear is considered by some to be a normal part of growing up.

Among Mexican-Americans, El Cucuy is portrayed as an evil monster that hides under children's beds at night and kidnaps or eats the child that does not obey his/her parents or go to sleep when it is time to do so. Social sciences professor Manuel Medrano says the popular legend describes El cucuyas a small humanoid with glowing red eyes that hides under the bed.

The "Bavbav", a mythical formless spirit in Greece and Cyprus is described as hiding under the bed to children.

Much children's literature uses the theme of "monsters under the bed".

At ages 4-5, children's imaginations are developing and they may interpret sounds at night as threatening. They have developed the cognitive ability to to imagine monsters.

Some parents develop ‘monster spray’ and then hope that this will calm the fears of a child.

Thinking that a monster is under the can impact being able to fall asleep for the child This can manifest itself with difficulty in getting the child to go to bed and being tired and irritable the following day. A child may not get enough sleep.

Caregivers often look for solutions that will help relieve a child's fear of 'monsters under the bed'. Some respond to the child's fear by allowing the child to sleep in the caregiver's bed. Others will help the child approach the problem with a more logical approach and show them that there are no monsters under the bed. Other remedies can include the creation and application of 'monster spray' that will keep the monsters away (explanation provided by caregivers).