Teaching your child to LD

I've been wondering lately how to go about encouraging this ability at as young an age as possible. It would seem, that for many here, the ability to lucid dream as a child was a spontanious occurance either in the realization of a nightmare or other random dream and has been something much more easily obtainable as a skill in the future or as a life long ability.

I imagine that the direct act of encouraging this and with plenty of confidence would manifest itself in an incredibly useful ability to communincate with the subconcious, aid greatly in visualization and abstract problem solving, and to be a more creative and healthier person resulting maybe in less dangerous repression that childhood brings.


Your thoughts?

Well, first, it would be a huge mistake if your child thought you were in any way emphasizing Dreaming or Lucid Dreaming... making it an issue. If one did, then during the child's adolescence, it would become an issue of teenage Rebellion and one would have one's precious views of Lucid Dreaming torn up and thrown back in one's face.

So the best and most one should do is simply remark upon one's dreams between talking about the news and talking about the weather, pretending to be as bored with it as with everything else. In other words, to treat it as a normal thing.

how young are we talking about here? (to topic guy)

I've actually thought alot about this, many people used to become lucid spontaneously when they were younger, personally with me I didn't know what to do so I would just wake myself up and forget it ever happened.

I actually had someone talk to me about lucid dreaming when I was young (I think that's how I learned how to do it back then) they told me that if I ever found myself in a bad dream just think about the moon really hard and I would wake up (:P) so then with every bad dream I had I would always think about the moon and i would wake up (although once I think I had a false awakening and that was an extremely horrible experience)

I would advise you to at least tell them how to get out of nightmares, maybe more about it but I don't now what affects that would have on a young mind, you wouldn't want to do something and later find that it made him/her a social outcast (since they can do anything in their dreams or something like that) but who knows, I'm not a psychologist :P

I don't think it's something to be pushed to an extreme or emphasized, but introduced as an option, yes. I wouldn't force my child to keep a dream journal or anything like that.
Certainly, though, I think it can be a great thing for children to use. Nightmares can be especially terrifying for little ones, so maybe telling them that the next time they see a "monster" or whatever (if they have nightmares frequently) that they have a magic weapon that will keep them safe. Or something of the sort. I think it might even happen more easily for children, as their minds are so imaginitive and unrestricted already.

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Originally posted by Leo Volont
Well, first, it would be a huge mistake if your child thought you were in any way emphasizing Dreaming or Lucid Dreaming... making it an issue. *If one did, then during the child's adolescence, it would become an issue of teenage Rebellion

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Yes, because a thirteen year old would really hate having the ability to lucid dream- if you missed my meaning; BOING :o :oops: :shock: :mrgreen: :lol: It might just rid the little guy from long bathroom breaks, or showers :wink:


As far as age goes billybob, I'd say thats in the air. Theresa's approach is more of what I was thinking,

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Originally posted by Tattoo


Yes, because a thirteen year old would really hate having the ability to lucid dream- if you missed my meaning; BOING :o *:oops: *:shock: *:mrgreen: :lol: *It might just rid the little guy from long bathroom breaks, or showers *:wink: *


As far as age goes billybob, I'd say thats in the air. Theresa's approach is more of what I was thinking,

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No, it is not that the child will not Lucid Dream. It is that if the Parents had made it a Cornerstone of Family Tradition, then when the time for Teenage Rebellion comes, then it will just be another thing that will no longer be spoken of. Secrets will be kept simply to spite the parents.

If Dreaming is allowed to remain Ordinary and Casual then perhaps it might survive the attacks of the Angry Teenagers.

I don't think the teenage rebellion argument is that hefty. First, lucid dreams should be taught correctly, not as a vehicle to escape reality but rather as one to solve problems and develop in ones self. Then, it will help to develop an open and balanced mind that will see teenage rebellion not as unavoidable but as a choice at most. And even if this rebellion comes into place, I don't think it matters that much. With lucid dreaming, there will be a greater sense of responsibility for the self and I doubt that anyone woudl ditch lucid dreaming out of spite. By that age, they should be well used to it and the possibilites it offers. I don't see how it matters that much if dreams are not spoken of at a specific point.

Maybe it isn't a strong argument, but it is valid. I know a girl whose mother used to tell her about lucid dreaming, and maybe even tried to teach her (I don't know for sure). I can reference lucid dreaming with her around without having to explain it but she doesn't seem interested when I talk about it. Now that's not really rebellion, but the childhood presence of lucid dreaming did not impact her.
I guess what I'm saying is that it would have to be carefully done and constantly (GENTLY though!) encouraged, otherwise it would be uneffective.

Personally I would just talk to them about their dreams every once in a while. Their going to dream on their own, everyone does. All you have to do is talk to them once in a while so they think about it and it will help their recall. If you notice that they don't remeber dreams maybe bring up the idea of a dream journal.

Kids dream and if you dream you will have lucid dreams. Its all a matter of remebering them. There isn't anything to teach.

Teaching or encouraging your child to LD is a great idea!

I think just telling the kid that he can change, manipulate and control his dreams if he wishes to do so would help. I had no clue that dreams can be altered in any way till I was like 17

i think it is (usually) harmful to push a concept or ability onto a child...but equally, i i think it is (usually) harmful to force a child to discontinue a certain activity that comes naturally to them.

for instance, a child i know (2 1/2) has a very active imagination, and has an imaginary friend. his parents think this is "wierd" and don't encourage it.

when i am with him and he starts talking to his friend, i pretend along with him, even talking to the friend sometimes. it's alot of fun for both of us, and his imagination seems to grow, which seems to make him happier on the whole.

now, would it be beneficial to force a child who has no imaginary friend to create one, and go so far as to make the child feel they ought to have one? i highly doubt it...

in the same way, i think it is best to speak of dreams (both non-lucid and lucid)as a natural, interesting part of life. if a child shows interest, help them grow without pressuring. let them know it is acceptable to have them, but not that they ought to have them.

i know i certainly would have been interested as a child, but dreams were never discussed in my family...

My son is 6, and I've just been encouraging him to share his dreams with me. We've made it part of our normal morning ritual as we get ready for the day. This way, I find it fairly innocuous, but still shows him that I am interested, and allows us to bond under the whole "boy, dreams sure are interesting, huh?" category.
He already knows that I keep a Dream Journal, and when we share our dreams, I rarely "cater" mine to him (okay, I'm not going to be going into detail about *everything* per se, but if it is a scary dream, for example, I'll tell him I had a scary dream, and give him a bit of info on it.)
Because it is already such a part of our normal ritual, I don't see the idea of teenage rebellion coming into play. I think it's the same for us as for people who pray before they eat their meal.
As he gets older, if he talks about having a particularly nasty nightmare, I'll bring up the idea of lucidity. This allows him the chance to explore it for himself beforehand (read: without my influence), and gives a more natural setting in which to discuss it - going right along with the non-issue our dream discussions have already had.

I think parents should realize that their kids might genuinely not be interested in dreams or lucid dreams. There is no point in continuing to try to stimulate someone's interest in lucid dreaming if that person never shows any interest. Parents will sometimes need to accept that their children aren't interested in the same things that they are. I've brought up the subject of lucid dreaming and explained it to various people, but since none of them showed any interest I gave up and left them alone about it.

That would make me feel guilty if I was trying to mold my child's brain into wanting to do something without him knowing that I was doing it. Just seems like trickery too me.

But I do remember someone saying (on this forum) that when they were young, they told a kid at school about bad dream they had, and the kid said, "The next time a guy points a gun at you, realize it's just a dream, so turn the gun into a banana." So I guess if your child ever said they were having nightmares, tell them that if the have a reoccuring one, the next time, just turn the bad guy into a banana, or come up with your own solution to the particular situation, and it will no longer be a bad dream.

My nephews are two three and they have already had some nightmares. Usually it's a snake, or a giant frog, or mommy took his shoes off. Not that long ago the older one told me "Dan, last night I was at your house, but we didn't come over". I smiled and told him he had a dream.

I don't think there is one right answer. What's right for one person is ... right for that one person. I'm not pushing anything on my oldest nephew, but like wombing advises, I don't pull anything away from him either.

My little girl will be six next month.
She brought up having a nightmare, to me, and I brought up lucidity, telling her about things she could do to get out of nightmares. I didn't push anything on her, I simply replied to her telling me of her nightmare with the truth: That she can do anything she wants in her dreams, if she knows it's a dream/nightmare. I told her that I can fly in my dreams if I want, if I know I'm dreaming. She's like "Nuh-uh!" I told her I keep a journal, and that she can tell me about any dreams that she wants because I'm really interested in them.
So she has a passive knowledge of lucid dreaming, but I really only bring it up every now and then, usually when she's telling me about a dream.

my mum has always spoken to me about lucid dreams/dreams. she was the one who got me into it in the first place. i am 14 and think the childhood rebellion against LD's theory is crap

Oneironaut, that does sound like the best way to do it (bringing it up when the subject is already on dreams). I hope she gets more interested, and maybe when she's older we'll see her around here, assuming Dreamviews is still around by then...

The dreaming world is a place where control is neccessary not only to remain lucid no matter what happens, but one where we have to be responsible, yes-it is your own unconscious world, but it is important to be responsible because it will effect your conscious world.

ANd this impacts a young childs life because they are still learning responsibility in their waking life......but it may help them.....hrmm...