Sawt al-Mara — page 23

This question has puzzled parents and scientists for generations, and at last they have managed to shed some light on this truth. One physician specializing in children has proved that wild animals and beasts play an important part in these dreams, and that is how the child of today, who opens his eyes upon the modern inventions, has come through this stage.

There is a kind of dream connected with the subconscious mind and its wishes or whims, and this we tame in our lives. "Freud" spoke of how we use the subconscious mind to express things we dare not disclose in a state of full consciousness. These feelings gather by day in inner corners of the mind, where they lie still; and when we sleep, they crawl out of their hiding place and take shape in the form of a dream. The oddest of them are those a person forgets the moment he wakes, which means that the subconscious mind has drawn those thoughts back to their original storehouse. Your child needs your hand to help him, and your smile to strengthen his resolve and assure him that he will anger no one, whatever he may think in his dream.

Here is Samir, screaming in his sleep. He starts up suddenly to see his mother, and is comforted by her presence — but he turned his face away when he caught sight of his father. The father understood that the dream concerned him, so he left the room without pressing him. In the morning the father began his inquiry, holding the child on his lap, and asked him playfully: "Samir was frightened last night." The boy thought a moment and then said: "He was frightened? Of what? You know." And the father began listing his suggestions: "Was he frightened

of the tiger? Or the wolf? No — I know: he was afraid because he is a naughty boy." Yes, that was what frightened him: he had been mischievous, and had dreamed that he fired a shot at his father. To set his thoughts at rest, the father said: "Listen, my dear: if you do that in a dream, it frightens no one and harms no one, so do not be afraid. You are a good boy. Go now and play with your friends." Samir threw his arms around his father's neck and then bounded off to join his companions. Parents must be

skillful enough not to be wounded by such a dream; more than that, they must strengthen the child's confidence in himself and convince him that he is a good boy and that his dream is natural. No doubt it is hard for parents to accept such fancies — yet that is exactly what they must learn if they want their children to grow up without fear: to help the child accept all these feelings so that his spirit does not shrink into itself, to give him freedom, and then to surround him with affection and understanding in full measure!