Seth v. Monsters

I blame Minecraft for the sudden onset of monster-phobia. We had zero incidents of monsters lurking in our house before Jon played a bit of Minecraft in Survival Mode. Zombies, creepers, spiders...it was a bit much for Seth, who begged Jon not to play Survival Mode again.

Of course, that doesn't stop Seth & Catherine from playing "Minecraft", where Aaron & I are "the guys" and they alternate between different types of monsters. Seth instructs me as to the correct weapon I must use to dispatch each monster ("No! For this one you need a gold bow and arrow!") and dies a dramatic death before returning to life as some other creature. They also insist I yell, "Ugh!" when they attack me, just like the Minecraft guy in the game.

But apparently dramatic play isn't enough to help Seth process his fears. He refuses to be alone in the house. This morning he was literally at my heels as I moved from bathroom to bedroom getting ready. The second I left the room, he was on his feet, following me. On Easter Sunday he stayed in his church clothes all day because he didn't want to go upstairs alone to change. And yesterday when the rest of us were all outside enjoying the sunshine, Seth sat up against the glass front door where he could clearly see us (he wanted to stay inside and play on the iPad--surprise).

I clearly remember going through stages of various fears (wolves, for one. My house burning down for another--thank you, terrible episode of Sesame Street) and watching my sisters do the same. I guess it comes with the age. Now to see how long it lasts...