Afraid of the Dark

Some of the earliest memories I have as a little girl are of lying in my bed, terrified, as my imagination was being fueled by all of the sounds and shadows of the darkness. My heart would race as I tried to build up the courage to leave the protection of my covers and sprint across the hall to the safety of my parents bed.
As of lately, it appears that Miles has inherited my childhood fear of the dark. He gets nervous being in any kind of darkness whether it is walking outside as the sun goes down, driving in a dark car, or sleeping in his room at night. We tried the obvious solution of putting a nightlight in his room and/or leaving his closet and hall lights on, but then he developed a fear of his shadow (it doesn't have a face afterall). So his only defense is to hide under his blanket and run to our room every night. Because of my experiences as a child I am a complete push over when it comes to my kids crawling in bed with me, and Miles has been taking full advantage of my weakness, but I don't mind at all. Honestly, having his warm little body snuggled up close to me during the sometimes difficult nights can be quite comforting for me as well, so I'll just enjoy the snuggles while they last.