answer:The first answer would be that they have experienced something scary during the dark. Second answer is that they have seen a scary movie, or a movie that scared them [children don’t always vocalize when they’re scared by a movie!!!], and the scariness haunts them at the time they can’t see anything around them [in the dark]. My first thing I would ask the boy would be “What are you scared of? Did you know Mommy is scared of ‘blah blah blah’.... After he shares, tell him of something you were scared of as a little girl. Make sure you initiate with what you are scared of. Then move the conversation along, saying “Do [the thing he’s scared of] hide in the dark? Do they bother you at night? If you choose your words carefully, and make them as neutral as possible, he’s likely to over-share. “Why do you want to visit mommy at night?” etc, etc