Night fears from Harry Potter

[Peg Kerr]

No: HPFGUIDX 4351

I started reading the HP books, like so many of us did, by reading them
to my children, specifically my oldest daughter Fiona, now 7.

When GoF came out, I read it first, a little worried about what I had
heard about it in advance (ok, we can more accurately say I gulped it
down in five hours flat the first day it was released).  I had my
husband read it, too, and after a good deal of careful discussion, we
decided to read it to Fiona.  Partway through, I got the Jim Dale CDs,
and she has listened to those several times.  Her little sister (4) has
listened to those, too, although we have always sent her out of the room
from the Third Task on, so she hasn't heard the ending of the book.

All seemed fine.  But a couple of nights ago, as I was sitting reading
through the hundreds of posts you incredibly interesting and verbiose
people have snowed me under with, Fiona came to my office and admitted
she has started having trouble with "her imagination running away with
her."  Not exactly nightmares, but when she's in that state between
sleep and wakefulness, she sometimes thinks Voldemort is coming up the
stairs toward her room.  Or maybe a big snake.

Part of our problem is that Fiona's reading level has perhaps vastly
outstripped her emotional maturity.  She is a 7 year old, in 2nd grade,
with a vivid imagination who reads beyond the 7th grade level (for
non-Americans, that's about the reading level of a 13 year old.)

After talking with her for a while about night fears, I reminded her of
what Harry had used to defeat Voldemort--or at least the memory of Tom
Riddle--in the Chamber of Secrets.  "Remember what Dumbledore sent to
Harry?  He sent the Sorting Hat and Fawkes, right?"  Fiona nodded.

So I took a costume witch's hat we had in her dress up box (she's
planning on being Hermione this Halloween) and told her, "This is the
Sorting Hat. Can you pretend that it is?"

She nodded.  She knows all about pretending.

"We'll put it right in the doorway, and then Voldemort and the snake
won't be able to come in.  And . . . " I seized one of her beanie
babies, a parrot.  "You can pretend this is Fawkes.  See?  He's even
red, like Fawkes.  Take him to bed with you.  Both Voldemort and his
snake are afraid of Fawkes, and they won't dare come near you as long as
you have Fawkes."

She went to bed, satisfied, and all seems well for now.

But I was wondering . . . how about you other parents out there who have
read Harry Potter to your kids.  Have you encountered any night fears
due to the books?  How have you handled them?

Peg