Nightmares

At what age do children really start to dream and have dreams or creative imaginations? I ask because last night the Bug started screaming and hollering bloddy murder about 1:30 in the morning. I went to her, breaking my own rule about trying to let her cry it out. But my lord...it sounded as if she was being tortured. I changed her diaper. It was a rather icky wet one. Then i bundled her in her blanky with her Kitty and her Scruffy. But she would not be comforted! She howled louder and louder. She was not even able to to start taking big gulping breaths until we left the room. She was then up for 2 hours. In the middle of the night! I finally just plunked her back in her bed and closed the door. She wailed for about 2 minutes and then was fast asleep; the covers pulled up over her head.

This is the second incident like this in two weeks.

Now my other nightmare is the terrible tantrums she throws at home. Oh how she screams and carries on. She's even been in time out as well as spanked for hitting me. Yes, I know by spanking her I'm not doing a real good job of enforcing the idea that we don't hit...but...I refuse to be hit and slapped and kicked at repeatedly.

I've gone terribly wrong in all my parenting skills and plans.

To quote a song by sheryl Crow : "No one said it would be easy...but no one said it would be this hard." Yep..sums up the whole parenthood thing rather easily.

Comments

[Tamara]

Sounds like it has been difficult at your house lately. Nightmares start about 2 so she is right on with having them. I did find some good info on the web for a friend several months ago going through a simular situtation with a 3 year old. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Nightmares_and_children?OpenDocument It is Canadian, but has some good ideas.

As far as the hitting I can understand that completely. You shouldn't tolerate that. Wish I had ideas for you there, but I am clueless.