Dream Analysis: A Mother Misses Her Baby Ducks

Every now and then, a Dream Prophesy reader will submit a dream to share on the website, simply for the sake of sharing. Because the dream’s meaning is obvious, they know exactly what the interpretation or analysis is.

They simply want to share it with other readers.  I think that’s great and LOVE for dreamers to share their dreams.  Other dreamers may be having similar dreams and can benefit from seeing what another person “gets out of” their dream.

Below is an e-mail (along with the dream and a very accurate interpretation!) from a reader in Florida named Sandy.

Over the past year, both of my daughters moved out of our home.  Our oldest daughter got married and moved with her husband 46 miles away (south).  My youngest daughter – two months later – moved away for college, 2 and 1/2 hours away (north).  I’m stuck in the middle, missing them with all my heart.

I’m proud of both of them and I love my son in law, but I miss my daughters badly. I cry more this year than I have in my whole life.

My husband and I have not been getting along. He says I am always sad and never happy any more.  He doesn’t understand.  If I seem unhappy it’s because I am.

Anyway, two nights ago I had a dream that just makes so much sense and is so perfect, I wanted to share with you and other readers of Dream Prophesy.

Here’s the dream.  I was helping people move farm animals from one part of the state to another. I would put them in cages and move them onto a truck. Then we’d drive them to their new farm. Everything was okay until they showed me three ducks that had to be moved.  Before I could say anything, they put the mother duck in one cage and the two baby ducks in a different cage.  The mother duck started sqwaking and crying – waving her wings and acting very upset. She became angry and aggressive, and if she wasn’t in a cage, she would have bitten us all.

I said, “She wants her babies!” but they put her and her cage on one truck and the cage with the babies on another truck. I had to drive the truck with the unhappy and mad mother duck.  She was so loud that she was upsetting the other animals in their cages and none of us were happy. I felt so sorry for her. So instead of driving on the road I was told to, I followed the other truck and honked until they stopped.  They thought I was crazy but I yelled at them, “She wants her babies!”

I got the cage with the two baby ducks and opened it. I put them into the cage with the mad mother duck and she pulled her babies close to her with her wings.  I told them, “You will never be apart again.” Then I woke up.

The dream is obvious, isn’t it?  “She wants her babies!” That’s me. And no one else understands but me, just like in the dream.  You want to know something else about the dream that makes it cute?  I have collected ducks (figurines, books, pillows, pictures, stuffed animals, and anything with ducks on it) since my daughters were in diapers. They even had duck diaper bags.

I just wanted to share my dream because it is neat how they show what’s going on in your life.  Thank you for your website, I read it all the time. – Sandy

Thanks for sharing your dream, Sandy! Your dream is, in many ways, adorable. As a “mother duck,” myself, I understand all of the feelings you described.  However, as a dreamologist, I think I see something that you overlooked, and it’s something that may actually help you. Notice that you say the mother duck acted mad (angry and aggressive – and that she’d have bitten you all if she weren’t in a cage).  I actually think this is the most important part of the dream, even more so than the separation anxiety the mother duck felt which matches your own.

The mother duck’s intense pain and heartbreak manifested itself as anger and aggression.  Could it be that your own heartbreak manifests itself as anger?  You mentioned that you and your husband aren’t getting along.  If your heartbreak were manifesting itself only in tears and a long face, that would be pretty bad, but I don’t think that would (in and of itself) lead to arguments or tension. It would probably lead to your husband taking you out to eat more or doing things to cheer you up!

Given the details of the dream PLUS the details you shared, I think your subconscious mind is trying to show you something of the utmost importance.  Many people, when they feel pain, loss, or sadness, lash out in anger.  What’s worse, they usually hit a target that had nothing to do with the pain in the first place.  Different people react to pain differently.   Some people keep it all in, some “cry it out,”  and some “lash out.”  It seems to me that you’re probably crying it out AND lashing out.

Like the mother duck in the dream, you have been (and are) beside yourself with loss and unhappiness. My heart breaks for you, because the pain is obviously hideous!

I could point out that your daughters (or baby ducks!) are each within a car drive and certainly within reach of a phone call.  I could point out that you’ll see them on birthdays, holidays, and probably many other times as well.  However, when the heart is filled with sadness, words won’t heal it. Only time can do that.

You need time to see that this isn’t the end of the road, it’s just a different road.  Much like the one you took in the dream.  I think that’s yet another dream symbol.

I hope you’ll realize that, like mother duck, your pain was showing up as anger and, possibly, aggression.  Hopefully no one ever felt like you’d bite them, but with us moms, you never know!!!

On my Self Help Blog, Self Help Daily, I actually write frequently about empty nest syndrome and things you can do to make the transition easier.  I think you’ll find advice and tips there that’ll help you out.  Please feel free to e-mail me again any time you want to just talk and keep your chin up.  Life’s FAR too beautiful to spend any time looking down.