Question:

I am the mother of a 10 year old boy. When he was younger he would say things like "when you're in space you can see and hear but you can't move." He is TERRIFIED of aliens and we have always tried to limit his exposure to anything that had to do with aliens or anything scary.

He is too afraid to sleep in his own room and wakes up during the night and comes into our bedroom. Once he drew me a picture of an examining table and some "arms" like robotic arms around it. Now he refuses to even talk about it. Are children that have possibly been abducted, sleeping in their parents bedrooms at this age? Just curious to know?

Answer:

Unfortunately, this is a common problem. For your child's sake, try to get him back into his own bedroom. Having him sleep in your room will not change the abduction pattern, if there is one, and will only create a more difficult habit to break as he matures. It sounds as if he may have had some very troubling experiences. Do your best to reassure him and let him know he is loved. This is a difficult situation for parents to handle, but we hear from both mothers and fathers on this topic.