Search Results for: parenting nightmares

Night Terrors vs. Nightmares

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I’ve always had vivid dreams: happy ones, sad ones, nightmares, weird ones, dreams that eventually got turned into stories. But every once in a while, a dream leaves me in an absolute panic. I wake up in a sweat, heart pounding, afraid to move and even more afraid to go back to sleep for fear of being back in the dream again. I had one of those last night. While I used to think nightmares and sleep terrors were basically the same thing, they’re not. What’s the difference? Night terrors tend to happen within the first few hours of falling … Continue reading →

Scents and Dreams (and Nightmares)

German researchers have found that different smells can influence your dreams. When study participants were exposed to bad smells (researchers used rotten eggs), they generally had bad dreams. When study participants were exposed to good smells (researchers used roses), the dreams were generally good ones. It does make sense — smell stimulates a whole lot of behaviors in the body. Different scents can influence emotion, bring back memories, increase or decrease appetite, and even stimulate sexual arousal. Dangerous smells can even trigger a fight-or-flight response. The scent of burning (even if it’s just my neighbors using their grill on the … Continue reading →

Nightmare or Night Terror?

Waking up to a screaming child can be traumatizing. Your heart races as you try to figure out what’s going on and then it’s gone as quickly as it comes. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between a full blown night terror and just a regular nightmare. Here are some tips to tell the difference and how to respond when dealing with them. Night terrors usually happen within the first hour or two of sleep, while nightmares tend to happen much later at night, during the second half of sleep. During a night terror your child’s eyes may be … Continue reading →

The Early Years: How Much Do They Really Understand?

The age of your child at the time of your divorce has a profound impact on the way they respond to the changes in their life. Don’t expect them to understand everything that is going on, but be aware, they may know more than you think. Here is a guide to gauge how much your child comprehends the split during the early years and how to ease that transition on them. From birth to 18 months children can feel the tension in the home, but don’t understand the reasoning behind it. They may begin to show some signs of separation … Continue reading →

Have Fun Trick or Treating

Trick or Treat! Soon you will be hearing that more times than you can count. Halloween is such a fun night for the kids, something they look forward to for weeks. As a mom I always looked forward to taking Hailey out and showing off her costume. Somehow, it never was quite as much fun as I imagined it would be. When you are a single mother and trick or treating is just one more thing to do in a long list of things to do, the night can be a little hectic. To ensure that your child has as … Continue reading →

There Were Two in the Bed

Lately the little nursery rhyme “Ten in the Bed” keeps coming to mind. Every night it seems, “There were two in the bed and the little one said ‘Roll over, roll over!’ So they all rolled over and one fell out!” Almost every night this week Logan has ended up in Mommy’s bed and inevitably Mommy ends up falling on the floor! At first it was just nightmares, but after the first few nights he realized how much he liked sleeping in Mommy’s bed. He did this when my ex and I first separated too. He was afraid of losing … Continue reading →

Mommy I Need You

Last night my three year old had his first full blown night terror. I’m not sure if it was more traumatic for him or me. My heart about leapt out of my chest as I woke to my baby’s terrified screams. I rushed to him as he reached out his arms to me and cried, “Mommy I need you. Save me.” He spent the rest of the night wrapped in my arms, protected from whatever his three year old fears may be. As a parent we want nothing more than to protect our sweet little children from the evils of … Continue reading →

Establishing a Bedtime Routine

As a parent of four children I have experienced all kinds of sleeping issues. I have been up with a child far past the time a child should be sleeping through the night. I have been up with a child experiencing nightmares. I have been invaded in my bed by a child who could not sleep alone. I have had the luxury of having a child who slept 12 hours from the time she was 8 weeks old. In addition, I have dealt with issues of night waking and putting a child to bed who resisted until sleep finally took … Continue reading →

Unthinkable

It’s easy to see why parenting and paranoia go hand in hand. Between bullying, natural disasters, stranger danger, and suicide, parents have a lot to contend with when it comes to protecting their offspring from the world’s perils. However, just when you thought you’ve reached your capacity for worrying, along comes yet another reason to fret. The latest concern for parents with young children: being diagnosed with cancer… just nine days after your spouse is given the same news. It seems unthinkable, right? Wrong. Just ask Nathan and Elisa Bond, who made headlines recently when they were both diagnosed with … Continue reading →

Natural Disaster and the Impact on Mental Health

With the recent events in Japan, between the earthquake and then the devastation on the tsunami, and now the risk of a nuclear meltdown, it will be interesting to see the impact of these events on the mental health of the Japanese nation. Right now, I imagine most are running on survival mode, adrenaline levels are high, panic is setting in, reality is finding enough food and water to survive. The impact on mental health will be more long term, setting in once the initial chaos is over. It will probably be years before the whole impact on mental health … Continue reading →