Since the beginning, Baby Gray has been a great sleeper. Every now and then, he’d wake in the night for something, but for the most part, he (and we) get a full night’s sleep.

A year or so ago, he had a couple of scares in the night, but he only remembered it once. From what I have read, the ones he doesn’t remember are night terrors, and the ones he does are nightmares. With the night terrors, we always cuddle up in his bed, pray, and he goes right back to sleep.

The nightmares are a different story, though. I had forgotten how heartbreaking it is until yesterday. Monday night, he woke up crying. I laid down with him, but he was uneasy and unnerved. He finally fell back asleep, but he crept into our bed when Mr. Gray went to work Tuesday morning and slept another few hours cuddled up with me. He never does that. He’s an in-his-own-bed sleeper.

Most of the day Tuesday, he avoided the bedroom. He didn’t want to go in there in case the “pumpkin man” was in there again. At naptime, he laid down tentatively. He was unsure. When he woke up, he cheered that the “pumpkin farmer” didn’t come. He was so glad. I was glad.

Then bed time came. Our sweet boy was so anxious and worried that the “pumpkin man” would come again. We talked through it, read a book, prayed, sang, left lights on (apparently the “pumpkin farmer” doesn’t like the light), and then tucked in tightly. A few minutes later, he called me in and asked me to tell the “farmer” to go away, keep his hands to himself, and go to church to learn about Jesus.

Y’all, my heart had been completely broken for my boy, but in that moment, I couldn’t have been more proud of my sweet son. I pray we get back to peaceful nights, calm sleep, and no more pumpkin folks–unless we carve them into a jack o’lantern.

Have your kids had night terrors or nightmares? What were your go-to ways to deal with them?