What a Nightmare!
The first couple of times you would swear they are possessed… Then you finally smarten up and do what all, good parents do, you google that nonsense!! Only to be told that you are not alone and it is not only your child who wakes up screaming and delusional in a dream so crazy and unreal that they don’t snap out of it for several minutes. NIGHT TERRORS… Is anyone with me on this one?? So my sandwich kid, or “thing 2” as I at times refer to her as, has been having these awful evening episodes for nearly a month now.
The cool thing about it is that I am getting loads of sleep so what’s another bump in the road, right? (enter sarcastic stare) Just when you think you are home free and those little buggers are sleeping through the night like a boss… Here comes the curve ball with a whole new adventure. Scary thing about these terrors is that you have to let them ride it out because they are not aware of their behavior. Thankfully, unlike a nightmare the kids don’t remember the terrors the next day. The other brutal thing is as mentioned before, you have to let it run its course. Trying to soothe them or wake them will only intensify the sleep terror. Often times they say it is related to being sleep deprived. (not sure why all parents don’t get them then) Some other common causes they say are separation anxiety or a looming developmental leap. Bottom line it will trip you right out and it is heart wrenching to watch your kid go through this. Those 2-8 minutes (which are what mine have been) feel like an hour. You will be bawling your eyes out because of how completely helpless you are in the situation. Good news… The kid typically comes out of it, rolls right back over and is out like nothing ever happened.
Do your best to keep them on a regular sleep schedule is what I am being told, and try to keep them from getting over stimulated. So I guess while I am making dinner ipads AND the TV should not be going? It takes some deep focus to whip up my box of mac n cheese I will have you know. (Aunt Annie’s brand of course) Don’t forget I have to rinse the grapes and probably throw some smiley face tater tots in too. So you get it, evenings are busy. Probably time to pull the spout out of the box of wine (keep it classy) as well, it has got to be 5’oclock!
So if your kid all of a sudden starts losing their minds while in a deep sleep, sit back, hold on, brace yourself and just let it ride! You will be way more bothered by it than they will.
Sweet dreams mamas!!
SS