Scary Storms
Most little children are not huge fans of bad weather. I remember setting up little beds for my younger brothers on the floor of my room during particularly bad storms. Nathan and Emily have never liked bad weather either, however this past year has heightened that dislike and turned it in to total fear. And with good reason.
Back in April when the tornado came through Jacksonville, it passed right over our old house. Thankfully it did pass over and didn’t plow through, but even so, the damage done in our neighborhood was still impressive. Last month, we were out of town when Hurricane Irene came through. Just driving home and seeing the trees and branches down, though, certainly left a mark on Nathan and Emily.
Now, anytime they see storm clouds of any size, they get quite anxious. Emily asks when the next hurricane or tornado is coming. If we’re out driving, she gets particularly agitated, worrying that the “stormy” is going to come before we get home. Just a few minutes before the tornado passed over us, our power flickered. So if our power ever flickers, she is convinced that another tornado is coming.
Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure what to do about these fears, other than try to reassure them and give them lots of snuggles whenever storms do come around. Reassurances help Nathan, and Emily has never turned down a snuggle. But deep down, I know they’re still worried. And no parent likes that.
Are your little ones afraid of storms too? What do you do to try and settle them?
