The Boogeyman

Who is the Boogeyman? What does he do for a living? and why do parents feel the need to scare young children into submission with horrifying tales of this night dwellers exploits? Growing up in the small town of Sandersville, GA, we had this one really creepy elderly man that lived next door to us. “Jerry” was his name. We couldn’t go by his place without him yelling out “The Boogeyman’s gonna get you kids…He’ll getcha!” Now when your a six year-old riding your Big Wheel down to play with your friend something like that will scare the crap out of you. I remember my little cousin waking up in the middle of the of the night screaming “The Boogeyman…. the BOOooGeyMaN” Sure it’s funny now! But that kind of thing sticks with a kid.

Wikipedia defines the Boogeyman as: “an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behavior. The monster has no specific appearance” Some countries call him the “Sack Man” and he carries children away at night in his old sack if they're not good! Now why in the world would you tell your kids that story? As if being a kid isn’t tough enough.. now they have to stand watch every night for a nondescript guy with a sack? Hey! I am all for warning my kids about the dangers of this world, strangers, look both ways before crossing the street! I do draw the line at the sack man – after all...a kid needs their sleep.