My son has nightmares.
Just like me.
They scare the bejeebies out of him.
Me, too.
My nighttime nemesis was the Wicked Witch of the West.
My son won't say what makes him dread the dark.
Not yet.
Fact is we all have nightmares, especially kids.
Sometimes, anticipating a bad dream is more upsetting than the actual dream.
That's why it always helps to talk in the clarity of daylight.
When the time is right, here's an article about nightmares written just for kids.
Have you ever been so scared you couldn't scream? Nightmares can do that to you.
Everybody dreams.
And everybody has nightmares once in a while.
The good thing about nightmares is that no matter how real they seem, they're only dreams.
They aren't real and they can't hurt you.
Stressful things that happen during the day can turn good dreams into bad dreams.
Nightmares are almost always connected to something that happened to you or something you saw during the day.
Watching a violent movie or reading a scary book can give you nightmares.
Problems at school, stress from homework, or problems at home can cause nightmares, too.
Here are a few ideas to help you deal with those bad dreams:

• Talk to your mom or dad or a friend about the nightmare and how it makes you feel.
  
• Sleep with something that makes you feel more secure.
  
• Open your bedroom door so you can hear and talk to your family.
  
• Use a nightlight so that if you wake up suddenly, you can see where you are.
  
• Write down your dreams-good and bad-in a journal exactly as you remember them.
  A list of dreams will help you understand what's on your mind and may help you discover what's causing your nightmares.
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