Visions in Time of Kids and Parents

Dear Cynthia: A recurring dream puzzles me. My three children are grown, but in my dream, they are very small. We have returned from an outing, and I am either bathing them or otherwise getting them cleaned up. Many times, I can’t find one sock or some other article of clothing they need. Often my parents also are in the dream and are much younger.

JOYCE GALLAGHER

Mission Viejo

Dear Reader: When you have this dream, you most likely are experiencing a period of activity and responsibility similar to when your children were young. You are trying to “clean up” or take care of your obligations, and you fear that you won’t have something you need to do so. Since your parents also are in the dream, the dream could further indicate a common question parents ask themselves: Did I give my kids everything they needed from me?

As parents, we often have moments of hoping we did it right, or wishing we could go back and redo something a bit better. Most of us are the best parents we know how to be. But it is never too late to remind our children that we care for them and are proud of them.

*

Dear Cynthia: I hesitate to say I don’t dream. . . . What I have are semi-awake fantasies that I can stop at will--like closing a book. When I mentioned this to friends, they all thought me weird. Am I?

JEAN MALONEY

Santa Monica

Dear Reader: You don’t sound weird to me! What you describe sounds like normal daydreams we all experience every day. We seem to have more conscious control of these daytime visions, especially common while the body is otherwise occupied, like driving or doing dishes. While we are physically involved with these mundane activities, our minds can create fabulous fantasies.

(By the way, I guarantee that you do dream every night and several times each night. You simply don’t remember these nocturnal dramas. You can learn to remember by setting your intention to remember just before going to sleep.)

* Fax your dreams to Cynthia Richmond at (213) 237-0732 or e-mail them to in.your.dreams@worldnet.att.net. Please include your hometown and a daytime phone number. “In Your Dreams” appears every Tuesday and should be read for entertainment purposes only.

* Cynthia Richmond explains children’s dreams on our Kids’ Reading Room page every Wednesday.