There is nostalgia in childhood; the memory of the afternoon siestas that parents force upon their children, lest they lose the chance to visit their favorite toy store. Little kids may be forced to sleep early at night or else some fearful creature from under their beds takes them away, never to be seen again. Parents inflict fear into their young to make them obey and avoid unwanted behaviors. When one feels afraid or threatened, a specific part of the brain is triggered and results in an emotional reaction. The amygdala involuntarily activates the flight-or-fight response, which then sends signals that release stress hormones to tell the body to either fight the stimulus or run away from it. Experiencing fear is a primitive human emotion that helps our body detect and protect ourselves from danger. However, some parents use fear as a manipulation to make their children behave accordingly. Growing up in a typical Filipino home setting, fear-based parenting is commonly used to instill discipline within the household. Given the hyperactive imaginative nature of children, they are forced to close their eyes and sleep early, believing the monsters that their parents scare them with. Starring in these prominent scary bedtime stories are our Philippine mythological creatures. Number one on the list is a creature with sharp claws, fierce eyes, and razor-like teeth; the Aswang makes children tremble as it feasts on human flesh especially during the night. Children who live near huge trees develop fear towards the Kapre, a hairy giant beast that smokes tobacco from atop. When bothered, the Kapres are strong enough to crush a person’s body. Many testimonies have said that once you smell smoke but no one nearby has a lighted cigarette or tobacco, a Kapre is smoking near you, ready for the kill.
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| the psyche: sugilanon sugilnon+
