Beyond The Purple Sky

There are few things as heartbreaking as when your little one has a nightmare. How, oh how, do you explain to them it wasn't real? Personally, I'm still trying to make sense of dreams myself! Try explaining to a small fry that there really is no monster when they JUST SAW IT!! And when they are really, really little, they aren't even able to verbalize what their fear IS. Comforting them can be so difficult, and all you want to do is make them feel safe and protected.

One night, in the wee hours, Blake had a particularly scary nightmare. He was around four years old. I ran to his room, his teary eyes as big as golf balls, arms flailing. I wrapped him in his favorite Scooby Doo blanket and whisked him down to the rocking chair in the living room so as not to disturb his sisters. I turned on a soft light, rocking and comforting him ... listening as he explained to the best of his ability all about the nasty boogy man who "twied and get" him. Dang that boogy man!! Even though I knew he didn't exist, I still found myself wanting to kick his butt! ;) Fortunately, in the long run, nothing a little cookie and lot's of kisses wouldn't make all better. As he fell asleep in my arms, we rocked back and forth together in the chair, and I wrote him this:

Beyond The Purple Sky

Once upon a pleasant dream

my flying horse and I,

traveled to a magic place

beyond the purple sky.

We met the most peculiar friends

that I have ever seen,

and had a picnic on a lawn

of orange, instead of green.

We dined on sweet ripe apples

which were colored shades of blue,

and listened to the singing

of a yellow kangaroo.

We played a game of softball

with a group of antelope,

and joined in with the turtles

as they skipped a licorice rope.

From now on when I go to sleep

instead of dreams that scare,

I'm gonna take my flying horse

and travel back to there!

When I would go to place him back in his bed, hours later, he opened his eyes and looked at me just as I was sneaking out of his room. "Well, hiya Blakie!", I said quietly, as though I just happened to be checking on him. "What 'cha doing awake sweet pea?" .... "Well...I doh no mama," he said, with both hands raised up, in a perplexed motion. "I jus open my eyes and it wokeded me up!" .... And then he giggled...and fell back to sleep.