Almost all parents sometimes encounter the fact that a child wakes up at night screaming or wet with fear, or does not wake up, and in the morning talks about the terrible dreams he has at night. Analyze the reasons childhood nightmares is not the purpose of this article, I will only say that in each specific case you need to look for the reasons individually and, as a rule, not in the child, but in the family, because a child is a symptom of the family. What to do? Leave it as it is, they say it will go away on its own - this, as you understand, is not the best option. Comforting, hugging and talking is a good start, but this is often not enough - the nightmares recur. The best option is to consult a specialist psychologist or psychotherapist. But unfortunately, not all parents have this opportunity, not everyone has the desire, and many also have fears about what the child might tell the psychologist at the appointment. So, what can the parents themselves do to alleviate the child’s suffering from painful dreams and experiences? Let me very briefly remind you that the daily routine, nutrition, and a favorable environment in the family are important for children; it is equally important to follow rules such as not giving children black tea, coffee, chocolate and other tone-enhancing drinks and meals in the afternoon, active It is better to reschedule games until the afternoon, do not overuse TV and the computer, and if children are playing or watching something, then monitor the content of these games and programs - they should not be frightening, aggressive or too active. But all these precautions can be found in any child-rearing manual. What to do if a child wakes up at night or comes to you in the morning and says that he had a bad dream? First, be sure to take the time to listen to the child, whether during the day or at night . Let him tell you about his dream. What exactly did he see or who did he see? If it’s a person, then who or what does it look like, what or who does it resemble? teeth, what kind of eyes, nose, paws, claws - check until you clarify everything you can. Find out where all this is happening - indoors or outdoors, what the weather or lighting is like, try to imagine his dream as accurately as possible. As a rule, at this stage the fear has already decreased. Ask the child if he is afraid of it now. Invite the child to visualize his fear, that is, draw, or sculpt, or make that very monster out of paper or some scraps (focus on what your child likes to do most). If time does not allow you to do this now, be sure to come back to this later. When the fear is visualized, ask the child what needs to be done so that the monster (if it is, of course, a monster) stops scaring him. If the child says - I don’t know, offer him your option - for example, feed the monster, or give him something to drink, or offer him a bed to rest on, or throw away the drawing, or burn it. If this stage is passed, proceed to the next one - making friends with your fear. Offer your child options on how to make friends with him - fantasize, play, you can take a walk with him, be sure to ask the child what the monster (or not the monster) says. And at the last stage, you must consolidate the results - perhaps the monster will now even become a protector from other nightmares, you can invite your child to make him a guardian of his dreams, so that he does not allow bad dreams to come to your child. Try to turn all this into an interesting game. It may take you more than one day. But what can’t you do for the sake of your beloved child! Well, good luck and patience! PS If you still haven’t been able to cope with the nightmares alone, then I strongly recommend that you seek help from a specialist. Sincerely, Polina.