My children are almost terrified of thunderstorms. I say almost because I know that they have not yet reached that crazy point where they become hysterical when they hear thunder, and cannot be reasoned with. I am thankful for that. But, they are pretty upset when it starts to thunder - or even when we say it might storm. So, we just keep denying it.
Unfortunately, in the summer there are lots of thunderstorms. It's just part of the weather pattern. I tried to explain this to Lydia, and she promptly turned around and explained it to Luke. Luke interpreted it as there was going to be a thunderstorm right at that moment, and the questions and fears began once again. Drat!
Lately, the storms have been coming in the middle of the night, loud enough to wake them up. Luke will literally be shaking and crying in his crib, and he asks for us to hold him so "he's safe". Oh my, it breaks my heart! Lydia just whines and cries, and that annoys me - but I have to say, at least it's something that is kind of scary. I am not a fan of thunderstorms myself; the little ones are fine, but the big, booming, cracking ones are not my cup of tea. We are surrounded by trees on three sides, and I honestly get worried about them falling on the house from the hard winds we sometimes experience. Luckily, we have not had one of those storms yet this year.
So, what do we do when they get all upset? Well, there is one thing we are (trying!!!) not to do. We do not let them into our bed. Although I spent MANY a night on my parent's floor, and in the hallway, and down the hallway when I was little, I never remember sleeping in my parent's bed. I know Nathan didn't either, and I think that's a good rule for many reasons that I'm not going to discuss here. But, we are not against them coming in because they are scared - in fact, we aren't quite sure what else to do. It's a different situation when you are woken-up at 3:45am by screaming children and a storm, than if you are putting them to bed when it's thundering. At 3:45am, you don't quite have the patience or awareness to be constantly putting them back in their bed and reasoning with them.
So, we let them lay on our floor - no pillows or comfort - until the storm stops. We also tried opening-up our door and their doors so we can talk with them (reason number #99 why it's great to have a tiny house!) This actually worked wonderfully with Luke last time, because he asked for us to open his door and then went promptly back to sleep! I actually thought there was something wrong because I couldn't believe he was sleeping through it all. And then Lydia was mad because we told Luke good job on being brave, and she didn't do so well. Maybe sibling rivalry will be the key in all this mess. :)
What do you do when it thunders and your kids are afraid? Maybe it's just something they have to grow out of....
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