I have a question but please don't laugh or be mean...?

Question

My son is five years old. He loves Jesus with this beautiful and humbling and sweet love that only little children seem to have. He prays to Jesus every night before he goes to bed. He used to have bad dreams since a dear family member passed, so he started praying that he would not have bad dreams. Well, he didn't have one for about 4 months or so and then the other night he had one. He was upset because he said he prayed so he doesn't understand why he had a bad dream whenever he prayed. I explained to him that nightmares are normal and that every one has them. I don't want him to lose his love for Jesus because he feels like He didn't answer his prayer. Do you think that this will happen? How do I help it not to happen?

Answer 1

just tell him nightmares are natural like you have been. Jesus has to let him have some nightmares every now and then so it will help him grow up without being scared of things.

Answer 2

You should'nt expect a 5 year old to understand so many things. Especially the innerworkings of a faith-based life.

Bad dreams happen. Sometimes prayers aren't answered the way one would like. But even then, you can't expect a child to understand this.

I don't know if there is anything that you can do to help. I can suggest what helped me when I was little.
I used to have bad dreams. When my mother would tuck me in for bed, she would go over the whole day-- all the things that happened in the day. Should would be sure to encourage happy thoughts and ideas.
Put some happy thoughts in your child's head before he goes to sleep. And remember don't overexlpain things, keep things very simple and clear.

Answer 3

Help him to understand that everything happens for a reason and Jesus does not want anything bad to befall him, however, we live in a world of disappointment and evil people and unfortunately some things are out of our control. Let him know Jesus will be right there when he has his bad dreams protecting him and dreams are only dreams unless they are prophecy. Explain to him that Jesus never leaves him alone and to continue praying and keep loving Jesus as Jesus loves him. Also let him know that dreams are our bodies way of working out things in our (sleep) subconscious mind that is bothering us in our everyday life.

Answer 4

Keep up the prayer and this is what helps my kids not to have bad dreams,this is part of our personal prayor,it might help you...Lord,please send out a hedge of angels to go arround me and my family tonight so we will have good dreams and not bad dreams and to protect us while asleep,I rebuke you satan in the name of Jesus,you have no power or athority over me or my son!!(You have to say it out loud,because satan cannot hear your thoughts)Just try it!It works for us!!It is normal for a child to have nightmares after someone close passes,my husband lost his grandmother over 1 year ago,and I had to wake him up out of a nightmare just last night,he was crying in his sleep and talking to his grandma in his sleep.I know what you are going through,prayor will help,so encourage your son to not give up.It will help also to change the subject at bedtime and try to focus on happy things and not the one who passed away,most dreams about certain things occur because of a trigger event,where you have maybe thought of the person during the day or seen something that reminded you of the person,so keeping bed time a happy time might help stop the bad dreams.If your son is losing sleep and this goes on for a long time, I would definately take him to talk to a psycologist,he may have something he needs to address for the nightmares to finally stop.I hope I was able to help you and your son.You are a really good mom and you are doing a wonderful job,don't let anyone tell you that religion is a bad thing for a 5 year old.My kids are 11, 8 and 6.They love Jesus and love to pray every night too.They do understand that Jesus always protects us,but sometimes we have to go through something bad to get to something good.I will add you to our prayors tonight.

Answer 5

Well for me, I, too pray to not have bad dreams. Mostly, I don't get bad dreams but once in a while I do. I still love Jesus, even though he didn't answer my prayers. ANd also Jesus will still love you, no matter what you do or what you get.

Answer 6

The sensitivity you have to your kid and what they might be thinking is a good thing. One thing to realize is, that while you have definite authority and impact on your kid as a parent, you won’t be able to resolve all of their issues nor can you ultimately take control of their decisions when they get older.

I think this particular incident is only a blip compared to the later things in a kid’s life that could really derail them or lead them astray, so don’t let it worry you too much.

As far as the nightmare goes, I think you already did a good job in being there, giving him some guidance, and so forth.

I think one of the big things about the Christian faith is accepting that bad things still happen to professed believers, even when they’re doing the right thing. What Jesus promises is not that God gets rid of suffering all the time but that He is with us in the middle of it, suffering along with us; we are not alone.

That thought is hard for a five-year-old kid to intellectually fathom. The best way to convey it to him is to do what you’ve been doing: Be with him when he’s afraid, comfort him, sit with Him.

In other words, be “God” in his life. Even when he feels bad, your son will feel your presence because you are physically next to him and “there” for him.

This is the feeling you want to convey to him about God, so that when he is older and you aren’t there, he still can feasibly believe and embrace the idea that God is there with him, just as you were with him as a child.

Answer 7

Healing is not complete, unless it's accepted- to quote someone I know. What really makes a dream, bad? It's our perception, as to what in it is good or bad. But rather than a dream, it might've been a memory from tv, or a prediction. But if you really think about it, everything is mental. Pray for him and give him a cup of Tension Tamer tea- it's made by Celestial Seasonings (or a simlar name) and it's in the grocery store's coffee/tea aisle. Give him that drink, just before bed, but not too close to it. (You know how drinking liquid that late works) and tell him, it's all right.

Answer 8

God answers all prayers... sometimes the answer is no.

God gives us challenges to make us strong. Like in the Army, they have all those drills and obstacles, so that when the soldiers go overseas to fight, they are stronger and will do better. God has all kinds of things for us to accomplish.

Maybe someday your son will be able to help someone else get through their nightmares by being able to comfort them. Jesus may be giving him a way to be of service.

Answer 9

Having bad dreams could have something to do with him thinking about scary things right before he goes to bed. Try to make his pre-bed experence as calm, soothing, and happy as possible. Read to him (make sure the story isn't scary), play soothing music, give him a nightlight or leave a light on in the next room, make sure he has his favorite stuffed animal (you can even tell him that the stuffed animal will stay awake all night and guard him from bad dreams), sit up with him as he falls asleep and talk about nice, comforting things. I was prone to nightmares when I was young, and I found that if I surrounded myself with things that made me feel safe and comfortable, they were greatly reduced.

Answer 10

I am by no means a Christian. However, explain to your son that Jesus, if you please, has answered yes to his prayers for so long because He doesn't want him to be hurt. Yet, Jesus realizes that if he doesn't get used to nightmares, he will always be afraid, and that one of the most important things is to stand up to your fears, and Jesus would like to see your son get that done. It's not that Jesus didn't listen to his prayer, he simply answered no because it would be better for your son to face his fears.

You can really explain it any which way you would like...

Answer 11

I empathize with him. I was born a Catholic and I was always scared by the church, as a child I was taken to live in Hong Kong and after both parents passed away, I was adopted by a Chinese family. I was taken to a temple once and it felt so good to me, it was Buddhist, My Chinese father never made me go to the temple but I wanted it. Even today if I enter a Catholic church I shiver, I see the martyrs, the crucifix, the icons of Christ with the bared heart, the blood, the blood red votive glasses. I can attribute my fears to death but it was just too much. I don't know if I had nightmares then but the Church scared me away. Perhaps, just be slow about prayers and religion...don't make it an issue, and let him find his own way to deal with the death. If you were Buddhist, then I would have more thoughts to give you but I don't want to intrude on your faith. Be patient, loving and un-demanding in worship by your son.He will find the right path.