I have pretty much had non-stop sleep issues with DS2.5. He also has vivid dreams and nightmares. For him, I found that reading a book during the day about kids dealing with nightmares was helpful, although the ones my DS likes are probably too young for your son (There's a Nightmare in My Closet, There's an Alligator Under My Bed, or There's Something in My Attic, all by Mercer Mayer). We also do a lot of pretend play during the day where he is the heroic monster-slayer, or whatever is on his mind that day. Our favorite new phrase is "what are you thinking about?"
Bedtime has been a fight for awhile at our house. DS sleeps the soonest, best, and longest on days he's had enough intellectual and physical input, but not too close to bedtime. I was beginning to think he was just a natural night owl, sleeping midnight to 9 am, but surprisingly, the last few days he's been taking me upstairs early, saying, "I tired, I go to sleep now." I think for him the aha! moment that bed isn't a bad thing came because we're staying with a family that has 4 children (6-16) who go to bed early without a fuss. I don't know for sure, but whatever it was, I'm grateful and hope it lasts once we get home.
Regarding growing up, my DS gets really frustrated by being small and not being able to do things, so I was talking with him recently about the fact that eventually he'll be as big as everyone else. Afterwards he told me that when he's a man, "I no be (name) anymore." I tried to explain that he'll always be himself, but I'm not sure he really got it. When we talk, I rarely know how he puts the pieces together in his head, so it's hard for me to know how much info he needs for a clear picture, but not an overwhelming one, since his intellectual reach far surpasses his emotional immaturity.
