Your Dreaming Child
Do you remember dreaming as a child? Were you listened to? Did you feel encouraged to share them? Did you see or experience things in your dreams (or, for that matter, while you were awake), that were received by your family as worthwhile? If not, I believe you were done a dis-service and it's time to correct it. You can correct it by listening to, respecting, and being enthused about your children's dream lives. And, this can be a delicate line to walk. As our kids go through the various stages of growing up, it's vital that we tune into where they are, as best we can. Watch theta you're not speaking condescendingly. Kids feel it when you do and may rebel outwardly or they may retreat into silence, if they don't they're being taken seriously.
Like the dreams of adults, kids dreams have multiple layers of meaning.
Listen with respect and attentiveness, offering possible readings, while still leaving the meaning of it in their hands for them to decipher. They will often take your lead, and when invited to come up with their own interpretation, they do quite well.
Once they reach 10 or when they ask for us to keep their dreams private, you must do this, unfailingly. Once the bond of trust is broken, it's a difficult thing to reclaim, as anyone with children knows. Of course the love will still be there, but something may have been lost; something unique to the relation ship between parents and children.
Are your kids seeing lights? Talking with dead relatives, ancestors or ascended masters? Are they reading the thoughts or emotions of others? All of this falls within the realms of the dreaming, to me, and the same skills we're working on can help them to deepen their experiences.
ADD, ADHD, etc.
Kids with Nightmares
This is such a hard thing to watch. Parents will do just about anything to help their kids to sleep well.
Why is it that so many kids have nightmares, growing up? The obvious life challenges, from dealing with peer pressure and bullies, to puberty and discovering who they are; to themselves, family, friends, and the rest of the world. One way to help them is do your best to make them feel safe sharing their nightmares with you. In western society, there has been so much shame and judgment around the journey of growing up, we have an opportunity to set a new precedent.
First, when you listen to your kids share about their nightmares (or any dreams), try just to listen, and empathize, but keep it genuine. just tune in, best you can, to where they are and what they're feeling. The more you can get them to talk about what they experienced in their dream, the more they will be able to understand the dream themselves. Most of this will be for them. It's not for us to tell them what their dreams mean, and it's not for us to tell them that it was 'just a nightmare and it's gone now.' They need our validation, that their dreams are important to us, worthy of our time, legitimate experiences, and whatever they want to explore is ok with us.
Our job is to hold a sacred space for them to share. But listen, to them. Don't just hold an expression of compassion, offer your genuine sympathies, without hearing what they're saying. They may need your compassion at first. But then, they may need your guidance and your help to navigate exploring what it was for them, and if you're stuck in the story of 'oh, my poor child, let me make all the pain go away', or the opposite, ''It was just a dream. It'll go away. ' Or anything in the middle, and it will be apparent that you're just playing out a role, rather then being authentically present with them, which is what they need, more than anything. When you're being present, you'll share you love and your compassion, and when they're ready to shift the conversation to really exploring what was going on, you'll be ready to shift right along with them.
Do you remember dreaming as a child? Were you listened to? Did you feel encouraged to share them? Did you see or experience things in your dreams (or, for that matter, while you were awake), that were received by your family as worthwhile? If not, I believe you were done a dis-service and it's time to correct it. You can correct it by listening to, respecting, and being enthused about your children's dream lives. And, this can be a delicate line to walk. As our kids go through the various stages of growing up, it's vital that we tune into where they are, as best we can. Watch theta you're not speaking condescendingly. Kids feel it when you do and may rebel outwardly or they may retreat into silence, if they don't they're being taken seriously.
Like the dreams of adults, kids dreams have multiple layers of meaning.
Listen with respect and attentiveness, offering possible readings, while still leaving the meaning of it in their hands for them to decipher. They will often take your lead, and when invited to come up with their own interpretation, they do quite well.
Once they reach 10 or when they ask for us to keep their dreams private, you must do this, unfailingly. Once the bond of trust is broken, it's a difficult thing to reclaim, as anyone with children knows. Of course the love will still be there, but something may have been lost; something unique to the relation ship between parents and children.
Are your kids seeing lights? Talking with dead relatives, ancestors or ascended masters? Are they reading the thoughts or emotions of others? All of this falls within the realms of the dreaming, to me, and the same skills we're working on can help them to deepen their experiences.
ADD, ADHD, etc.
Kids with Nightmares
This is such a hard thing to watch. Parents will do just about anything to help their kids to sleep well.
Why is it that so many kids have nightmares, growing up? The obvious life challenges, from dealing with peer pressure and bullies, to puberty and discovering who they are; to themselves, family, friends, and the rest of the world. One way to help them is do your best to make them feel safe sharing their nightmares with you. In western society, there has been so much shame and judgment around the journey of growing up, we have an opportunity to set a new precedent.
First, when you listen to your kids share about their nightmares (or any dreams), try just to listen, and empathize, but keep it genuine. just tune in, best you can, to where they are and what they're feeling. The more you can get them to talk about what they experienced in their dream, the more they will be able to understand the dream themselves. Most of this will be for them. It's not for us to tell them what their dreams mean, and it's not for us to tell them that it was 'just a nightmare and it's gone now.' They need our validation, that their dreams are important to us, worthy of our time, legitimate experiences, and whatever they want to explore is ok with us.
Our job is to hold a sacred space for them to share. But listen, to them. Don't just hold an expression of compassion, offer your genuine sympathies, without hearing what they're saying. They may need your compassion at first. But then, they may need your guidance and your help to navigate exploring what it was for them, and if you're stuck in the story of 'oh, my poor child, let me make all the pain go away', or the opposite, ''It was just a dream. It'll go away. ' Or anything in the middle, and it will be apparent that you're just playing out a role, rather then being authentically present with them, which is what they need, more than anything. When you're being present, you'll share you love and your compassion, and when they're ready to shift the conversation to really exploring what was going on, you'll be ready to shift right along with them.