There I was in the darkness of my bedroom, at the ripe old age of 6, with my head shoved under the bed, waiting for the worst and wondering if these would be the last breaths I ever took. Like a lot of young kids, I had long believed that monsters lived under my bed. Not during the daytime of course, but when the sun went down and the lights went out, the ghouls moved in. By the age of 6, though, I began to wonder, "Are monsters for real?" So one night, while lying in bed with the lights turned off, I decided there was only one way to find out--I had to hold my head under the bed for 5 seconds. Why 5 seconds? Less than that wouldn't give the monsters time to react. More than that would lead to heart failure, thus giving the monsters an easy meal. It was an anxiety ridden lead up, but I finally overcame my fear. With my body still on the mattress, I slowly slid headfirst between the wall and the bed, forcing my face as deep into the darkness as I could.
One one-thousand. What am I doing? This was a huge mistake! Two one-thousand. Why did I pick my head? I could have done this with my foot! Three one-thousand. Brace yourself! I think they're moving in for an attack.
Four one-thousand. Open your eyes, David. It's the only way to know for sure.
Five one-thousand. Hey, is that my Tonka Truck? I haven't seen that thing in forever.
I think my heart continued to race for the next hour, but I had survived and my belief in monsters took a huge hit. It wasn't long afterward that I formally and officially concluded that monsters weren't real.
A lot happens in the mind of a kid during the transition into grade school. Not just for me, but for every kid. Preschool imagination begins to give way to grade school logic. Kids begin to wonder, "Is that real?"
This is especially true during the Halloween season. Ghouls, vampires, dragons, zombies--it can be hard (and frightening) for a young kid to navigate the line between fantasy and reality. Fairies, unicorns, mermaids, leprechauns--they don't even have to be scary to be confusing.
As KidMin leaders, we get to help kids navigate that line. We get to help them figure out what's real and what's not. (Pro tip: Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny are often rooted in family tradition. Let the parents tackle that one!) Most importantly, though, we get to assure them of the most foundational Christian truth--Jesus is real.
Best of all, I've got something that can help you! Click here for a free download. It's a game that we use in GO! curriculum for preschoolers, but it's good for kids through the 1st grade. It helps them distinguish fact from fiction and teaches them that Jesus is absolutely, completely, totally real!
