Bad Dream

Case has always had nightmares. As a small child he would wake up, still asleep, screaming with fear. Even as a baby, he would often cry out (a cry different from normal night time tears) in his sleep and couldn’t be consoled. He hasn’t had any bad dreams that I know of for a while, until recently. Unfortunately the bad dreams have resurrected themselves in our family’s lives. Case has told me about a couple of his dreams and they are terrible. Witches are up front and center. I don’t know where he heard or saw a witch, but he dreams about them. One of his dreams went like this. Case, “There was a witch and she grabbed my neck and shook me.” Me, “That is horrible! Was there more to the dream?” He spoke the next part so quietly I had to ask him to repeat it again. He said, “she tried to tear me to pieces.” Ever since the Waldo Canyon Fire here in Colorado he has been concerned and aware of fire. Last night he told me he finally had a good dream. Me, “What did you dream about honey?” Case, “A fire was burning and it burned up a bird.” Me, “Oh my goodness, that sounds terrible. Was there more to your bad dream?” Case, “That wasn’t the bad dream. That was my good dream because it burned the bird instead of me.” As a mother, I want to protect him from the horrors of the world as long as I can. But what does a mother do when the danger her son experiences is in his sleep? What scary dreams! My poor baby.