What type of fear does this advice address?
Fear of injury, illness, or death
Fears about safety
Fear of natural phenomenon (lightning, the dark)

Please describe your child's fear and how it is manifested:
I have been basically a stay-home momma for many a year, and my children didn't need babysitters all that much. When they did, it was sometimes hard to pry 'em off my leg and Go.

Bedtime is another time that the Separation Wars occur.

How did/are you help(ing) your child learn to overcome this fear?
Hard as it can be to implement, the only cure is progressive "innoculations"/successes with the thing they seem to seek to avoid: bits of successful separation (preschool, playdates, babysitting, sleeping alone). Celebrate the success.

The bedtime issues were harder, because I would read countless stories, stumble into my own bed, exhausted...and reach over and feel a little person had sneaked in about 3 am. You can lead 'em back...and sometimes they show up at 4 or 5. If you are really lucky, they use the bathroom before sneaking in (if not, more than double the fun ;-)

Please add any additional comments or suggestions:
It's the kind of fear that you think you've got whipped...and then it can re-surface at any ol' time, especially in those very young years. Maybe as they get older, kids have clearer vision of just what the big ol' world holds in the form of Fear.

My husband had to leave for weeks or months, with the Navy, so...the fears were real. If Dad could leave, so could I. That's part of the reason they would react so strongly. It's got to be similar for children who have parents that are apart for other reasons.

When you think about it, adults prefer to sleep with someone, yet tell their children to buck up, be brave...the fear of separation from parents can creep into sleep patterns, too, making everyone a little tired and cranky...Time is the best cure; I wish I could offer a faster one, 'cuz being sleep-deprived is no fun (been there, done that...). Some people let their kids camp out in a sleeping bag beside them, on the floor. This works only if you can find other places/ways to achieve privacy with your spouse.

A bad head cold (replete w/loud snoring) was the thing that finally got my son convinced that his room could be a perfect haven. ;-) Nothing I ever planned or did deliberately had nearly so much effect as that! But every child and situation is different. I'd ask every mom I know what worked for them. Perhaps one of them knows a strategy...and if it doesn't work today, it might work further down the line.

This advice is most appropriate for children in...
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School