[Babylove]

Just a note before anyone reads this, that my daughter is a perfectly healthy 12 year old.

My daughter and I were driving to dig up a time capsule, just her and me. When we dug it up, it was enjoyable sharing that time together. It was oddly located in a Yosemite type park... Lots of trees, windy roads, and massive rock structures that formed cliffs. She wanted to "drive" on the way back to our cabin so I let her turn the wheel some. When we approached the cabin she almost ran us into the wall of a cliff overhang so I quickly took over.

As I was "readjusting" she hopped out of the car and climbed onto a rock structure at the edge of the cliff, smiling saying "look mom!". I yelled at her to get down but being afraid of heights, I didn't approach the cliff. A few seconds later, without warning, the rocks below her broke off and she slid down with them. I listened but did not hear a scream or crash. I believed that there was a ledge of some sort just below my view. I tiptoed toward the edge and realized I was wrong. I screamed her name praying for a response, but heard nothing but my echo.

Next I remember I was sitting at my parents' dining table with the two of them and my boyfriend. It was a super sunny day and everything looked cheerful. Then my daughter walked in very joyously because she had been "spending time with her friend". My mother has chimes on her front door so you can hear someone entering, but it didn't make a sound this time. My mother and I looked at each other like we knew she wasn't really there. My father enjoyed her company as if nothing was wrong. My mother hugged her cautiously. I knew it was an illusion but I wanted to enjoy it anyways. I asked her to stand in front of me and laugh and speak and hug me. I wanted to absorb the vision and sound of her so I could keep her memory as real in my mind as possible. Then with a smile, she said she had to go meet her friend again and she walked towards the door. We listened but heard no chimes.

Needless to say, I woke up crying and unable to shake the sorrow. I'm grateful it was just a dream but why would I dream something so horribly sad?

[Callmebj]

Because you are a mom and want your child to always be safe. I'm no dream expert, but I use to dream when my son was little that he would be in danger and I would wake up with a start or talk in my sleep and wake up hubby. Just a mom wanting her lovely child to be okay all the time. I think it's loving them very much that brings out our protective side, dreaming or for real.
hugs, bj

[LindenTree]

Is it possible that you are worried about losing your daughter as she grows older? At 12 I expect she's right on the edge of puberty if she hasn't started already, and there seem to be a lot of parallels in your dream:

As she gets older she is wanting more and more to "steer" her own life, and even though you're still mostly in charge, you still have to give her that control sometimes, even if she might get hurt in the process (driving into the cliff)

She is taking more risks (the rocks) and wants your approval as she does it. To me, the cliff suggests teenagerhood - she didn't scream or crash, she was just gone from you, the way a teenager abruptly starts to shut their parents out and assert their own identity (don't worry, I hear they come back eventually!) Similarly, her coming in but you and your mother knowing she isn't really there is like how your teenage daughter can be standing right in front of you, but she just isn't the little girl you used to know. Something that a mother and grandmother may feel more keenly than the men in the family, so you feel the urge to hold her close and cherish her while she's still your baby girl.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. Either way, it is a very sad dream.

[Babylove]

Originally Posted by Callmebj

Because you are a mom and want your child to always be safe. I'm no dream expert, but I use to dream when my son was little that he would be in danger and I would wake up with a start or talk in my sleep and wake up hubby. Just a mom wanting her lovely child to be okay all the time. I think it's loving them very much that brings out our protective side, dreaming or for real.
hugs, bj

Thank you for that

Yes, I guess it is true that we will always protect them even in our dreams...

[Babylove]

Originally Posted by LindenTree

Is it possible that you are worried about losing your daughter as she grows older? At 12 I expect she's right on the edge of puberty if she hasn't started already, and there seem to be a lot of parallels in your dream:

As she gets older she is wanting more and more to "steer" her own life, and even though you're still mostly in charge, you still have to give her that control sometimes, even if she might get hurt in the process (driving into the cliff)

She is taking more risks (the rocks) and wants your approval as she does it. To me, the cliff suggests teenagerhood - she didn't scream or crash, she was just gone from you, the way a teenager abruptly starts to shut their parents out and assert their own identity (don't worry, I hear they come back eventually!) Similarly, her coming in but you and your mother knowing she isn't really there is like how your teenage daughter can be standing right in front of you, but she just isn't the little girl you used to know. Something that a mother and grandmother may feel more keenly than the men in the family, so you feel the urge to hold her close and cherish her while she's still your baby girl.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. Either way, it is a very sad dream.

Wow, you're really good at this! I found myself nodding while reading your assessment so I think you hit the nail on the head with that one. Thank you very much.