Does your child have weather fears?  Did You Know… Your reaction to a weather situation can cause your child to fear changing weather?

Thunderstorms are most likely to occur in the spring and summer months and mostly in the afternoon and evening hours. Thunderstorms can also occur other times of the year including winter during a snow storm.

Recently, I had a conversation with a parent after one of our Spring Thunderstorms. The parent told me she was so afraid because there were tornado watches and warnings. She had the television on and was glued to the weather broadcast. While watching the weather updates she was talking on the phone with her mother expressing her grave concerns for the potential danger. When the thunderstorm finally hit, her child was inconsolable. He walked around the house shaking and crying. She could not understand why her child was acting this way. He had never done this before.

Your child will pick up on your fears and emotions quickly. Had she just treated it in a calmer manner and not fixated on the weather forecast on the television, as well as calling her mother in front of her child and expressing her grave concerns, her child may not have reacted in the manner he did. Her fears were telegraphed to the child.

Our children look to use for security and reassurance during times of stress and uncertainty. When you are confronted with a situation that causes you fear and your child is with you, it is best to remain calm. Remain calm and take actions to protect your children and yourself. Being hysterical and expressing your fears will exasperate the situation.

Be sure to talk to your child about their fears. Yes, thunderstorms can be scary. Their fear of thunderstorms can be stopped or at least eased in a few steps.

First, reassure your child that the storm is outside and cannot hurt them in your home.

Let your child know you are there to protect them.

Explain to the child what causes lightening.

Be sure to reassure your child that the lightening clap is very loud and can be scary, but he is fine.

Have the child count after the lightening flash until they hear the clap.

Explain to them that is how many miles away from your house the lightening is.

If your child is school age and still afraid, take the time to explain the science behind thunder and lightning. By educating your child to the reason why storms happens you can help them look at it differently.

Until next time!

Miss Joy