Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

I am! And the boogie man. The "guy" in the woods. The man under the stairs. The monsters under the bed, and countless others that could come and "get me" in the middle of the night. This has been a problem since I was a child.  Both my sister and my parents could attest to this. I say problem because it has followed me in to adulthood.  I am just afraid of the boogie man today as I was as a child.  Maybe more.
Let me try to explain the depth of this "fear"....
I can't sleep in the house alone. When I walk up the stairs from the basement I walk sideways so nothing/no one can grab me. I won't go downstairs after my husband has turned all the lights off and locked the doors. I leave all the lights on when I am alone in the house (at night). The way my bed is positioned is directly correlated to the sight-line of the boogie man. Most people have their"side" to the bed - I have a "where the boogie man can't see me side - so it's never the same one.  In a hotel room it is the side farthest from the door and closest to the corner.  In our bedroom I am protected by my husband.  When my daughter has a nightmare and he has to go console her I find myself a little jealous that she gets to sleep with the big brave monster slayer and I have to sleep alone.  When my husband is away - which is rare, and I think mostly because of his fraidy cat wife - I have to call in babysitters - not for the kids but for me.  Luckily I have such good friends and family that when they get the call to come they don't ask questions they just appear. They appear at bedtime and disappear early in the morning. That's all I need.  As soon as that sun rises the fear is gone.
I am not sure what it is about having that extra adult in the house but it allows me to sleep.  Soundly.  With the light off!  
Will I ever overcome this fear?  Probably not as my mother, at age 60, was still calling in babysitters for herself when she was left alone.  So until  that day comes, and I really hope it does, I am comforted by the fact that my wonderful aunt will be sleeping down the hall protecting me from all that lies waiting in the dark.


PS - please do not tell my children about this.  They think that I am the one protecting THEM from the boogie man!!