My Son's Frightened Dream-->

So, this was last week and I wrote this long article about it but somehow my editor ate it and it didn't get posted. But I'm going to resurrect it from my memory. Basically, my son came in my room for the first time and described a dream which seemed very real to him. It took me a fair amount of time to understand he was describing a dream. I was awake but just laying in the bed and he was running through the house looking for me. This was the morning and normally he knows to come in and come to the door in the morning because I'm asleep. He wakes me up. So it was unusual that he was running around the house. I thought maybe someone else was here but that wasn't the case. He finally did come to the door and came in the room. He told me that he was all alone in the house and Daddy & Alicia (my girlfriend) were outside. He said a doggie had turned out the lights in the green room (his play room). I couldn't understand everything that was going on that he was telling me but I could understand the desperation and loneliness in his voice.

It makes me wonder if maybe he has anxiety about being alone. This among other signs has given me some pause about him clearly having some abandonment issues likely related to his mom moving away from him. He also asks me if she's mad at him. I think he possibly thinks she's mad at him and doesn't want to see him even though I've worked hard to counter these concerns. At this age it's hard for me to know what he thinks. The barrier between what's real and imagination tends to be somewhat thin at this age and for that matter most of early childhood.

I somewhat remember having nightmares about being alone when I was a child. My mom worked a lot because she had a couple jobs when I was growing up just to keep us afloat financially. My father wasn't around a lot when I was a small child either. So, I'm sure I had issues with a lack of attention from both parents. But I wonder if all children have these kinds of dreams about being left alone or if it's because of his situation. I don't really know. I know he seems to be coping well with his mom being away but every now and then I wonder because he says something subtle or worries about me leaving him alone for too long. It's extremely subtle but it's there.

It is interesting to watch my son grow from a baby in to a boy. He's learning very quickly... starting to understand the names of the days and starting to inquire about things he never thought of before. He's approaching boyhood with a wonder and curiosity I'm sure that is common among children his age but it's a unique way for me to experience life again. I'm seeing the world through his eyes and it's a very unique experience which I cherish very much.