For 1 year now Levi has had really bad night terrors. As he has become older they have become less frequent. But they for sure do not get any easier to deal with. Last night Levi had a night terror and every time he has one it just brings me to tears. If you have ever had a child with night terrors then you know what I am talking about.
Matt and I feel so helpless when he has these. It is almost like Levi is possessed. You look in his eyes and he is not the same person. Even though his eyes are open he is not awake. Levi will kick and fling his arms around. He will hit us but we don't get mad at him b/c he is not awake and doesn't realize what he is doing. We have discovered recently that by turning on Elmo for him does help him to wake up and calm down.
When Levi wakes up the next day he is none the wiser as to what has happened. He is always in a good mood and is ready to get up and play. We have prayed that Heavenly Father will take this burden away from Levi. I guess this is a trial for us as parents but it is really hard to overcome. It really stretches your emotions like never before. Last night Matt gave Levi a blessing. I am so grateful for Matt and the power of the Priesthood. I really don't know what I would do without it in my home. As soon as Matt laid his hands on Levi's head he was calm. When we laid Levi back down in bed he slept through the rest of the night.
I know Heavenly Father watches over and protects all of his children. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I would love to know.
3 comments:
I had them as a child...and I'm not too warped now (just kidding!!)
Emma has had issues with sleep-walking and it seriously terrifies me when she does it. The last time she did it, she ran into the living room, right up to me on the couch, her mouth wide open and not breathing. Finally she sighed big time and said some stuff to me with that hollow, deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes that you've described and I had to guide her back into bed. I was so freaked out that I called my mom and then was paranoid for the next week that she'd do it again.
But, if you can manage it, don't worry about Levi too much. It's just something that some kids do and though it can be a response to stress, most of the time, it just happens and they grow out of it. We discussed it heavily in one of my abnormal child psych classes...and your kid is NOT abnormal, not possessed and will be totally fine. I think it's just more of a trial for the parents that for the kiddo, but I know it can be SO scary.
The good news is that he'll grow out of it. Let's hope soon! :)
I am so sorry. I have not had this experiance but I think I would just cry if I saw my child like that. I hope they end soon.
Jacob used to have them too. The only thing that helped was to sit in a dark room with my arms wrapped around him with the TV on. He would eventually focus on the TV as it was the only light in the room. I don't know that he watched what was on TV as much as it would give him a focus point. It is freaky how you can wave your hands in front of their face and it is like they just don't see you. They are not there. Hang in there...
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