Before experiencing it firsthand, I had no idea what a night terror was. Perhaps I had heard the term but dismissed it as just another word for nightmare. However, after witnessing my daughter’s episode, it became clear: the two are vastly different. It’s much like the initial encounter with the anglerfish—your first thought might be, “It’s just a fish,” until you see its jaw and realize it’s something far more unsettling.
At the age of 5, my daughter had been asleep for a few hours when we were suddenly jolted awake by her terrified screams of “Mommy! Mooommmy!” Assuming she was having a nightmare, I rushed to her room. Upon entering, I found her upright in bed, visibly distressed and crying out. My usual calming techniques—nothing fancy, just instinctual responses—failed to work this time.
Her eyes were open, yet she seemed completely unaware of her surroundings. My partner, Alex, joined me, and we tentatively turned on the light, hoping it might help her come to her senses. The sight of our child, wide-eyed and screaming for me while seemingly oblivious to our presence, was nothing short of terrifying. I positioned myself in her line of vision, but she appeared to look right through me, continuing to call out in a panic.
No amount of soothing or gentle shaking could rouse her from this state. Panic began to set in as I turned to Alex in distress. “What do we do? I’m at a loss!” I felt tears pricking at my eyes as uncertainty enveloped me.
In that moment, if I had believed in supernatural phenomena, I might have called a priest for an exorcism. It was a scene that felt straight out of a horror movie. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, she calmed down and fell back asleep, with no memory of the episode when morning came.
The following day, after sharing my experience with a friend, she mentioned that it sounded like a night terror. Her sons had similar episodes, one even occurring during a camping trip, where she had to comfort him in the car as he repeatedly cried for her. Suddenly, I wasn’t alone in this. More friends chimed in with their own stories of children experiencing night terrors, leaving me bewildered as to how I had never encountered this concept before.
It seems that night terrors are one of those realities of parenthood that often go unmentioned—much like round ligament pain or postpartum complications. While it’s possible your child may never experience night terrors, it’s reassuring to know that if it does happen, you’ll be better prepared to handle it without needing to summon an exorcist.
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In summary, night terrors are a harrowing yet common experience for many children, often leaving parents feeling helpless. Understanding this phenomenon can help alleviate some of the fear and confusion surrounding it.
Keyphrase: night terrors in children
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