[lmvsmom]

My 7 yo DS is very fearful of the dark, fearful of going upstairs by himself (even in broad daylight). He wants our dog in his room when he sleeps or goes upstairs to take something to his room or the hamper. I try not to be impatient, but this is not getting better. He is unable to explain what he is fearful of. We have tried appeasing him, reassuring him, etc. He was adopted by us at 8 mos of age. There has been no change in housing or family status. THis has been ongoing for several years. Help!
Wondering if we need to consult a psychologist?

[softballmama]

I'm no expert BUT when our daughter was about the same age (maybe a little younger) she went through a stage like that. She grew out of it but what REALLY helped her was leaving her TV on (sleep timer of course) and during the day she would hardly play in her room alone. If I were downstairs she would play downstairs and vice versa. We slowly just started having her go to her room to get this or that and she finally realized that nothing was scary there.

My suggestion would be to go with your gut. If you think he needs some therapy, by all means, seek it out. You never know...he could have had a bad dream at some point and not really remember it but still feels the fear anyway.

Good luck to you!