My two cents
Could it be possible that this dream a manifestation of a mothers fear of her child leaving home? 17, or nearly, is an age where young women start thinking about college and the prospect of leaving home. This dream could just be her fears of her "baby" becoming a woman although she still sees, or wishes she was that 6 yr old she once was.
I sometimes have dreams that seem SO far off into right field until I truly think about what each part of the dream represents. Then its clear that it was a fear I had/have about an impending event.