We had some very severe thunderstorms here in central Ohio tonight, and there were a couple of tornadoes on the ground within a county or two, also. Neither of them were headed in our direction.
My 7 1/2 yo DD has seen me deal with my fear of thunderstorms and tornadoes, and has developed those fears herself. However, hers is very much out of control. She went to bed a couple of hours after the storms were all over and cried her poor little eyes out. I didn't know what to do to calm her down. She knows I have those fears. We said prayers and asked God to keep us safe and storm-free, I showed her the weather channel, and my fiance and I sat on her bed and talked to her. I finally let her older sister get in bed with her and rub her back until she went to sleep. I feel terrible because I feel this is all my fault. What are your suggestions on how to handle this between now and then, and what to do next time, considering we are about to hit our thunderstorm and tornado season.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

I would email your local news weather person. I know ours go to school and give talks. FOr immediate help I would just let them sleep with u if not in the bed then on the floor. that's what I did. Or I sleep on floor in there room. what about the God is bowling story. also do u know the count down. this could back fire if the storm is getting closer. after lighting strikes start counting, then after the next lighting count again if the number is bigger the storm is moving away from u. I don't remember but I thought a count of 5 was 30 minutes away. sorry, my girls are scared but not that scared and I just sleep with them. I love storms but can't sleep during bad ones. I always stay up to make sure everyone is safe.

allgirls

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allgirls, mom to 3 girls

Thanks. I am going to call our local news weather person. That would be a great idea. I know it's probably fear of the unknown for the most part. I'll let you know what happens.

I have the same problem. I am terrified of storms and tornados, therefore my children are too. I don't really have any advice because I am dealing with the same thing. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I feel bad too, but I can't help what I am scared of no more than they can. I have gotten better about them though, and I have noticed that if I stay calm, they do too. Good luck!

If it were me, I wouldn't let her watch the weather coverage that they have on during storms. I would also talk to her ped about alleviating her anxiety, how to calm her etc. Good luck!

Thank you so much for letting me know there's more people out there like me. That makes me feel so much better. Not for my girls, but for my peace of mind.:hugs:

With most fears, knowledge is power. Having a meterologist come to the school would be great. You can also find books and videos about storms and weather. The internet probably has some resources as well.

There's a fine line between supporting a child with a fear and comforting them to the point of reinforcing that fear. What a tough job we adults have! I don't know a simple way to determine when we cross the line into reinforcing the fear.

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If you need to get in touch with me, my email is teach1107910@yahoo.com.

I think that your daughter is old enough to also be taught exactly what you would do if there was a problem...what you would say, what you would do, where you would go. I think that if she knows there is a plan, that would help. Also, just knowing that you have it under control would make her feel more secure. It may even help you to know that you have a plan in case of emergency. Have family practices for it. That will probably go a long way to help.

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Parker, Wyndser, and Carson....................Wyndser (in blue) with her cousin

I totally agree! A tree in our front yard was struck by lightning 3 years ago and it traveled through the ground into the house. I was never afraid of storms until that night, now it is almost like shell shock and I am terrified....My kids on the other hand, no cares in the world.
DD school had the meteorologist at the school last year, and I agree....knowledge is power. We have a plan incase of bad weather situations (tornado especially) and the other thing I try and do is put on a brave face in front of the kids...If they don't see me scared it helps too.

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