SD19 Sleeps with Her Light On
i can understand fear of the dark as a little kid, maybe even as an adult for a time after a horror movie. I noticed this past summer that SD19 had her light on in the middle of the night. I just thought she was too lazy to get up because the light was on the ceiling fan.
Well, THOSE ceiling fan bulbs burned out months ago, so SD19 started leaving her pole lamp on. I noticed this over Thanksgiving, and discovered that it was an old style bulb which was blazing hot. I threw that bulb away one day when SD19 was out because that lamp had a tendency to fall over, and it would be on 24/7.
I offered an end table lamp to SD19 a few weeks ago and it's on all of the time. SD19 even admits being afraid of the dark. DH says she's been this way for about 10 years or so. What gives? Anyone else deal with this? LOL
~ Moon
I come from the islands where
I come from the islands where superstition reigns. We were told scary stories as kids and had the shit scared out of us. I used to be terrified that vampires/werewolves would come to get us at night while we were sleeping.
We were told stories of being possessed by spirits and devils etc etc...and yes..we slept with the lights on. We were young kids then (aged about 12). Then, when I turned 16, I watched "the exorcist". O.M.G. That shit petrified the bejeezus outta me. Bedroom light back on at night.. then I started watching movies about aliens etc. I realised that aliens, pretty did the same thing spirits did. They could "take over your body" and possess you. Once I realised this, for some reason, I wasn't scared any more. Think it was more being scared of the "unknown". Once I could put a face to my fear (aliens instead of spirits), my fear went away.
I'm wondering if skid has a recurring nightmare that she's never forgotten - or maybe something has scared her and she's never been able to deal with it?
Could you or DH try talking to her about it?
Did you put an LED bulb in
Did you put an LED bulb in it? Lord, I hope so...
Get the most dim bulb that works for her. It's not healthy to sleep with any lights on in the room. Even nightlights should be avoided as much as possible. But any sleep is better than no sleep. It's weird, but maybe she will out grow it.
Get her one of those
Get her one of those automatic LED night lights that comes on in the dark and shuts off automatically when it gets light. I believe the ones we have in our hallways are made by Honeywell. They are bright, don't get hot and are plug in and forget.
I can sleep under a spotlight in a force 10 gale. My bride on the otherhand has to have utter darkness and silence. I have no issue with the dark it is just that when I hit the sleep wall I close my eyes and I am out could it does not matter about lights, noise, etc......
I never understood the
I never understood the sleeping with lights on, I had a nightlight when I was little so I could roughly make my way towards the main light switch if I was up at night.
My SD4 sleeps with the light on because my fiance keeps the hallway light on, however she doesnt like or want it. In the end SD4 started shutting her bedroom door to keep the light out, hes finally believing me that she doesnt need the light on. But hes bought her a little nightlight that she can have on.
My half brother is 13, he and my BM were here over Christmas, with him sleeping in the living room. Every morning we'd come down and find all the lights on, living room and kitchen. My BM explained he still has a night light at home.
I guess as people get older they feel stupid asking for a night light but you can get some of those soft glow lamps rather than a normal light, lights are quite harsh and drain electrics. Id definately be looking into something like Rags suggests, that turns off when its light, or one of those light glow desktop lamps.
My hubby's son, 16, aspergers
My hubby's son, 16, aspergers syndrome sleeps with light on. Think its because he is just lazy, and admitted he is lazy. This morning found he left his lights on AGAIN.
I am kinda anal about leaving lights on when not in use, so, Im going to screw the bulbs out just so......
Digressed vent:
Maybe this is due from the weed that he tries to score in the evening when he is trying to be sneaky by going out the front door quietly thinking I don't notice.
Asshole.
Thanks everyone for your
Thanks everyone for your replies. For those of you who don't know my story, SD19 and SD13 came to live with DH and I FT about 2 years ago, after BM died. DH says SD19 has always slept with the light on, for about 10 years. I'm thinking that's when a lot of trauma entered her life. BM got cancer for the first time, then GDad died on BM's side, the GMa died on DH's side. BM and DH didn't divorce until 2007, about 2-3 years later.
I have always wanted to ask SD19 if she sleeps with a light on in her dorm room with her roommate. She has a nightlight but doesn't use it. I purposefully did not remind DH that the fan bulbs blew out, because they are a special size and would prob draw a lot of energy. The table lamp I gave her has a metal shade and yes, I put a fluorescent in it. The base is very heavy, so it won't fall off of the table, won't get crazy hot and won't draw as much electricity.
To Island Gal, I was 10 in 1980, so when all of those batshit crazy scary movies came out in the 70s, I was too young to see them, thank goodness! I can understand your fear there! They don't have scary movies like those anymore. I was born in Georgetown, near "The Exorcist STAIRS." We would always drive into DC as teenagers to get a look at them, but that was in the late 80s. Creepy indeed!
I myself have always had a nightlight since needing glasses at age 9. I just want a little light to see where I'm going if I get up in the middle of the night.
Annith, I wonder what this is doing to SD19's sleep schedule. She is ALWAYS peering into her cell phone, or on her laptop, looking at FB, etc. She also stays up late and gets up late. She can be quite a bitch at times (touch of BPD and ODD), and perhaps the grumpiness is because she just doesn't get quality sleep. Screen time is supposed to mess with the brain's melatonin, right?
Counting down until she finishes school and gets the hell out. She is a nuisance.
~ Moon
My neaerly 21yo slleeps with
My neaerly 21yo slleeps with a light on - she's always been afraid of the dark...
I sleep with the bathroom
I sleep with the bathroom light on when DH is working. This is a direct result of a stalker exH who made my life a living hell and I only feel comfortable alone in the house with a light.
I can see SD19 being afraid
I can see SD19 being afraid of the dark. DH has this crazy thing that the door connecting our master bath to the bedroom has to be closed at night. I also had a boss who one time admitted to being afraid of being alone in the dark. His wife was out of country for about a month to tend to family issues one time, and he would regularly close himself in his office to take a nap. He admitted to us that he wasn't sleeping at night because the house was empty with his wife gone, and it freaked him out too much to sleep. Told us about something that happened to him as a kid, and said he has been unable to sleep alone in a house ever since...there has to be another person there.