When a child is afraid of the dark parents usually say something like "There are no monsters in the dark. Go to sleep now!" But kids are right. There ARE monsters in the dark. There might not be any monsters right now and in this very room but monsters do hide in the dark. Our brains do know that without needing anyone to teach us about it. It's an instinct to be afraid of the dark. Kids who were not afraid of the dark and strayed away from the fire got eaten. By a lion or a hyena. It's the way things go. Only kids who were afraid of the dark survived. And now we fear it. It's healthy to be afraid of the dark and you cannot 'turn it off' but with time we get used to it. We grow up and darkness in our house gets boring or at least not as frightening.

But when you are outdoors - Be afraid of the dark. There is a good reason for it!