Question
My 7-year old (almost 8) will not sleep without mom or dad laying with her until she is asleep. She says she is afraid she will not be able to go to sleep. If we stay with her until she is asleep, she will wake up when we leave and then proceed to throw a tantrum because she can't go to sleep. Since she slept a little, getting back to sleep is somewhat of a problem. Last night she fell asleep for about 30 minutes, then woke up. I told her to go back to bed where she proceeded to cry and throw a fit for two hours. I crawled into bed with her for the next hour. Her father crawled into bed for until about 12:30 am, when she finally fell asleep. I first ignored the tantrum, then talked to her after she calmed down. She lost privileges last night (electronics tonight), but I am not sure what I am doing is effective. I think I need a more long-term approach. HELP!
