A daycare worker from Mississippi was under fire after wearing a scream mask and horrifying children in the classroom. The worker allegedly tried to get them to behave and obey given instructions, per Inside Edition. The video showed children screaming out of fear as the adult wearing the scary costume yelled in their faces. The worker can also be seen asking the kids if they're being bad, and if so, she would take them out of the classroom. The little kids can be seen terrified.
Jessica Reeves, a working mom of six kids, gave her complete trust to Lil' Blessings Daycare and Learning Center in Hamilton, noting that her child, Jaxie, is only three years old. Reeves told the outlet that the sound of kids screaming is still in her head, making it hard for her to sleep, considering she's aware of what happened to her child.
In another video, another daycare worker complained to the woman in the mask that the children hadn't cleaned up the toys. The masked worker immediately asked the kids if are they supposed to be picking those up. One little boy quickly ran away from her, but the worker quickly chased the child.
The daycare worker, who was not named, posted an apology saying, "If I could take it back, I would. I will have to live with this for the rest of my life." The mother believes there is no excuse for the trauma her child sustained, adding that her child went from being not scared of anything to being frightened of almost everything, a nightmare for the mother.
Why many kids are afraid of terrifying masks?
Roberto Olivardia, a lecturer in psychology at Harvard Medical School, told the outlet that as many as 1 percent of young ones might suffer from maskaphobia, a fear that occurs for longer than six months and is usually associated with costumes and superheroes. Additionally, many kids fear masks due to their creative and broad imaginations.
Catherine J. Mondloch, a professor of psychology and director of the face perception lab at Brock University in Ontario, stated that young children, especially those of preschool age, are afraid of masks as they notice changes in appearance. Mostly, kids believe the appearance of an individual has changed, not only the face itself. Kids might feel scared or misperceive anger as disgust.
Dr. Christopher Willard, a psychologist in Cambridge, Mass, suggests parents carefully explain to the children and validate their emotions as it is normal for kids to have fears, especially of masks. Furthermore, in treating phobias, parents need to practice with kids wearing and taking them off around the house for fun.
Also, according to Live Science, kids believe it can harm them when they see an object that looks scary or a person with a mask approaching them. They feel the danger as they are uncertain about what is behind the mask.
Dealing with kid's fear of masks
Julie Romanowski, a parenting coach, argued that kids being afraid of masks is common and is considered healthy for kids, especially at an early age. However, kids do not fully understand its concept as it is usually associated with scary sights and sounds.
Kim Hopper, a mom, told the outlet that her daughter, Charlotte, three years old, loves to dress up for Halloween. However, she would cry once she starts seeing people with masks or costumes.
Hopper told Today's Parent that parents should not force kids to handle the fear and instead gradually expose them to things that scare them, but if it doesn't work, parents should not force doing such.
