sleeping

I’m struggling to stay awake today.


I keep nodding off for a moment; I need tea and coffee – fast!

I’ve suffered some minor sleep deprivation caused by my five year old suffering from ‘night terrors’ bless him. Jamie had a really bad nightmare last week that absolutely shocked him. No amount of assurance about how normal this is or how unreal it was seems to be helping.

It troubled him so much that he cannot get it out of his mind, and is still getting upset at bed time just in case he has it again. We have tried ignoring it, even telling him off (mildly) for being silly, but in the end – how cold hearted can you be? Who can ignore genuine distress in their children?

Because he goes to sleep already thinking about the nightmare, his sleep is broken and disturbed. When he wakes up in the night due to this, he thinks about it again and gets upset. I don’t think he has actually had the nightmare again, but just keeps remembering it when he is sleepy. When he remembers it he gets really upset. Telling him to stop this nonsense failed to have an effect, so alongside patience we are left with the only option that seems to be available.

Cuddles.

Who out there really wouldn’t get their sobbing five year old in bed with them for a cuddle? You then lie awake until they fall asleep, and the tricky parental manoeuvre of delicately replacing a recumbent child into their own bed can begin. I kind of want to be a little harder about it, on the off chance that the lack of attention will snap it out of him, but just can’t do it when the time comes. My heart just melts for the little monkey and in he gets.

So sleep is a little broken at the moment, but nothing that will kill me, and doubtless will pass soon enough. I seem to remember his older brother having some similar issues a long time ago.

Any way, shhh, I’m trying to sleep.