She has been having nightmares lately and scared to go to bed at night because she says she is scared and doesn't know how to wake up when there is a bad one. Stuff like people shooting her with guns and her being lost and scared. Its something a parent really can't do much to help other than praying. We have been praying at night that she wouldn't have such scary dreams but she keeps having them. She was hysterical a few days ago and said she was mad that even though she asked God to help her not have bad dreams she kept having them. Not really sure how to respond to that one. Tonight when she and Calvin went to bed, she immediately got out of bed and told me she was having a hard time finding something nice to think about to try help her have nice dreams, that she could only think of bad things. I told her to think about cinnamon rolls and donuts, and it made her giggle. She said, "I think that will work!" And went off to bed. I wonder what she will dream about tonight?
Kid's fears are real...that someone would go after them and shoot them is very scary indeed...their imaginations and bad things they're exposed to can lead to dreams that can be frightening. Would it help her to know that God is always with her and stronger than any evil and that scary dreams are no match for God's power to protector her from evil...? God never sleeps as He always has his loving watch over us. A comforting God-story before bed time may keep her from worrying about bad things...worry usually translates to dreams about what we fear could happen!
ReplyDeleteHope this passes soon. "hugs"
Mom
Maria,
ReplyDeleteAnother idea, if you haven't already done it, is to play soft relaxing music in Violet's room on days/nights she's anxious about having a bad dream.
Have her picture something happy or a story to go along with the music, and perhaps she'll have pleasant dreams too.
Mom
This bad dream thing reminds me of a story about Luther, who when confronted with a bad vision threw his ink well at the sight of Satan and the mark is in the room to this day. In other words he fought back!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.luther.de/en/tintenfass.html
ReplyDeleteI gave her headphones and a CD of soft piano music tonight when she told me she was scared to go to sleep. She got very excited at that thought, and it seems to help calm her down.
ReplyDelete