Let's talk about dreaming! - By Katy Hotsenpiller

What are dreams? Why do we dream the things we do? Are there hidden meanings or messages in them? Even as adults we probably don’t have solid answers for any of these questions. So how are we supposed to help a child or Sajja and Kabba understand what a dream is? ​

The Science

Of course, there is the scientific explanation of sleep and sleep cycles that give us answers on what is happening to us physically while we sleep and dream, but I think what most of us really wonder about is why we dream the things that we do and why our dreams can affect the way we feel even when we are awake. Each time we drift off to sleep a whole new world emerges, and it’s full of imagination and creativity. It’s impossible to know what might happen. The mystery is exciting and scary to a lot of us, especially for our younger buddies out there.

Kids and Dreams

Kids probably won’t remember their dreams every day but occasionally there will be a dream that sticks with them. They might recall just a few images from the dream, the overall feeling of the dream or perhaps even the entire thing. When they do remember a dream, it can be confusing or unsettling. They might not understand how they came up with the content and even experience emotions they can’t explain or aren’t familiar with. Maybe it was a dream where they were the most successful unicorn farmer in the country, and upon waking feel silly or embarrassed for having such an unconventional dream? Or maybe they were so excited by the prospect of being a unicorn farmer that they were bursting to tell everyone they know?

Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions
I keep my visions to myself, it's only me
Who wants to wrap around your dreams and,
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?

​Stevie Nicks, Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few ideas to help anyone out there, young or old, to process their dreams:

• Talk about them regularly, maybe over breakfast or on the way to school in the morning when the dreams are still fresh .
  

• Create a short story out of them.
  

• Write them down in a journal .
  

• Draw/paint the images you remember.
  

• Make them into a song .
  

• Get creative!
  

The other day I had such a scary dream that it woke me up in the middle of the night. I actually fell out of my bed. Not only did I end up with a pretty sizable bruise, but that uneasy feeling of being scared stayed with me all day. I even felt embarrassed that, as an adult, I was scared by a nightmare. I couldn’t remember what I had been dreaming about, but I just couldn’t shake it off.
I did what every scared child would do and called my mom.
During our 10-minute conversation, she reminded me that everyone gets scared sometimes and to just accept the unknown. "None of us have control of our dreams." She told me.
Having only that short talk and simply acknowledging what I was feeling made the uneasiness go away, and I began to feel better.

Conclusion

Dreams can be a great source of creativity and inspiration and can expose us to different emotions/experiences that we might not have otherwise. The more channels we have to share and explore our dreams, the more we might be able to learn from them and incorporate those lessons into our everyday lives. Encourage your little buddies to embrace their dreams and share them with you in a format that works for them, you never know where their dreams might take them!