Ghost-story telling: keeping it appropriate

Camping Magazine, July-August, 1996 by Jeff Weintraub

Ghost-story telling is an age-old pastime. There's something mystical about the unknown, something fun about imagining encounters with the supernatural.

To frightfully entertain campers and not overwhelm them takes an understanding of young people's fears and a consideration of the environment in which you tell your ghostly tales. Before you decide to tell a ghost story, compare the story and situation with the following guidelines. If even one principle does not apply to your situation, consider changing the story's format or not telling the story at all.

Know your audience's fears

Children's fears change with age:

4-year-olds

Fear parent separation, animals, dark, noises (including at night).

5-year-olds

Fear animals, "bad" people, dark, separation from parent, bodily harm.

6-year-olds

Fear supernatural beings (e.g., ghosts, witches, Darth Vadar), bodily injuries, thunder and lightening, dark, sleeping or staying alone, separation from parent.

7- to 8-year-olds

Fear supernatural beings, dark, images resulting from media events, staying alone, bodily injury.

9- to 12-year-olds

Fear examinations in school, school performance, bodily injury, physical appearance, thunder and lightning, death, dark (Garber, Gather, Spizman, 1993).

Tell age-appropriate stories

Younger than 10 years old

Do not tell ghost stories to children younger than 10 years old.

Six- to 9-year-old children enjoy pretending and fantasy (Berger, 1961). Appropriate stories include:

* common folk tales

* fairy tales; fantasy tales

* hero and adventure tales

* stories about animals

* funny stories (Colwell, 1980).

10- to 12-year-olds

Tell mild, tame ghost stories if you feel no one in the group will get upset. (If just one camper out of 20 will become upset, the story is not worth telling.) Possibilities include:

* playful hoax tales

* jump tales

* lighter ghost stories.

Keep story endings lighthearted, so campers aren't frightened right before bedtime or after you leave the vicinity (Mitchell & Meier, 1983). Tell a variety of stories.

Teenagers

Tell scarier ghost stories. Follow the same rule of one as for younger campers: If just one camper gets upset, the story was not worth telling.

Older campers tend to enjoy "ghost-story only" sessions. Acknowledge and dissipate mild fear (increased heart rate, increased breathing rate) at the end of a ghost-story session (Cundiff and Webb, 1957). Counteract scary endings by having campers cool-off before bed: stretch, sing a song, tell a joke, discuss storytelling techniques, or go over the next day's activities.

Determine appropriate times

Never tell a ghost story at the beginning of the camp session. Wait for a sense of trust and safety to develop, usually mid-session.

Avoid telling too many ghost stories. Consider a worthy ghost story a nighttime treat, and leave room for other types of stories and storytellers. Rainy days, unit disappointments, dishwashing or work chores, health center visits, and restless rest hours call for very different types of stories (Mitchell & Meier, 1983).

Don't overwhelm campers

Never intentionally try to overwhelm your campers with a ghost story. The main objective of telling a ghost story is frightful entertainment, or fun. Ghost stories should never be too gruesome.

Although you should portray a ghost story as believable and credible by really telling the tale (becoming the story), never describe a fictional account as actually happening to you or someone you know. Also, never set the story in the camp or the surrounding area.

Some children will constantly ask and need to know whether a fictional story is true, or whether you personally believe in ghosts. I usually respond with one of three answers: "No, it isn't true," "I don't know if it's true," or "I take pleasure in the story itself, and I try not to explain the unexplainable."

Minimize further fear

If a child becomes excessively frightened by a ghost story, there are appropriate responses a storyteller can use to minimize further fear (Garber et al, 1993).

* Never belittle a child's fear. Take the fear seriously; do not tease the child or say the fear is silly.

* Don't force a child to confront a fear. A walk in the dark after a story to expose any lingering ghosts is not a good idea!

* Don't overreact. Even if a child begins to cry, take a deep breath and confidently relate that "everything is okay."

* Be patient and help the child cope with the fear. Have the child breath slowly and deeply, and relax his or her muscles. Then, to counteract a child's negative, scary thoughts, create positive statements and images. Two examples: "Only shadows dance in the dark and they can't hurt me" and "ghosts are friendly, make-believe people." Leading children through an imaginary scene in which they successfully cope with their fears can also be beneficial.

A worthy, gripping ghost story can entertain campers in a number of acceptable contexts. Pay attention to your listeners, and let their fears guide you to appropriate tale telling.

References

Berger, H.J. (1961). Program activities for camps. Minneapolis, MN: Burgess Publishing Company.