The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

KEREM ALCO
EMIR MENDA, TEACHER
Kaynarca Ortaokulu/Hisar Okullari, Kirklareli Province, Turkey
I was still in elementary school, and it was the first day of the holiday. I felt
relaxed when school closed for vacation. But in the evening, I felt a chill inside.
I thought reading would help, so I started a book and fell asleep. I woke up
easily, had breakfast, played games, studied, and then it was evening again,
and the fear came back. I read a book, but it didn’t help. Then, I read another
one and fell asleep again. When I woke up, it was still dark, and I felt the chill
again. I tried to sleep and succeeded.
“EVEN THE FIRST TEN
MINUTES WERE VERY
SCARY. BUT THEN, I
GOT USED TO IT.”
When it got light, I got up and had breakfast. I started thinking: Why do I only
feel this chill in the dark? Why not in the light of morning? When I told my parents,
they said it was possible to be afraid of the dark. It made sense to me, but I
wanted it to go away. So, I started researching how to overcome it. I found
different methods and chose five to try. None of them worked.
Then my mom suggested a way: stay in the dark for ten minutes longer each
day. At first, this idea seemed scary and impossible, but I said, “Okay, let’s try.”
Even the first ten minutes were very scary. But then, I got used to it. Nights
even started to get fun. That day, I realized that courage is the strongest
medicine, of course, for those who know how to use it.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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