Parenting Thunder-Phobic Kids
Oh my gosh, you guys.
We had a night over here.
I knew it was going to be a doozy when I first heard the rumblings of thunder in the distance. I did what all moms of thunder-phobic kids do in these moments: I grabbed my iPhone and checked the radar.
Red and orange as far as the eye could see.
And then this: Severe thunderstorms from 8:30 pm until 2:30 am.
Oh boy.
As if on cue, my oldest hollers above the bedtime din, “Was that THUNDER?! DID I JUST HEAR THUNDER?!”
I wave my hand nonchalantly in the air, “It’s far away, no worries! Please brush your teeth.”
Meanwhile, in my mind, I chant: PleasefallasleepbeforeitstartsPleasefallasleepbeforeitstarts…
And, thankfully, after a stack of delicious books and some snuggles, my three little thunder-phobic kiddos fell asleep…
… until midnight, at which point two boys came zooming down the hallway at a quickfire pace. I gave them snuggles, tucked them in bed, waited until it was calm, and then went back to bed.
But the radar doesn’t lie, and so the thunder dance continued, with various children involved, from midnight until just after 2:30 am.
And then, naturally, the kids were up with the sun.
This morning, my husband and I were dragging. As I sipped my first cup of coffee, I reminded myself that someday I will miss this part. I will miss little footsteps racing down the hall searching for me. I will miss the late-night chats, the snuggles, the comforting. I will miss the tucking of sheets, smoothing of hair, and soothing of worries.
Thankfully, it was Sunday and Sundays are designed for laziness. And books.
Today, I’m sharing my favorite book for thunder-phobic kids, Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco.
“Thunder Cake” by Patricia Polacco
I love all of Patricia Polacco’s books, but Thunder Cake holds a special place in my heart. Do you have a child who is terrified of thunder? I have three. In this book, a grandmother tells her granddaughter that it is perfect Thunder Cake-baking weather. As the storm builds up, the two work on baking the cake. They must hurry because the cake needs to be in the oven before the storm has ended. What a perfect distraction from a scary storm!! As an added bonus, a Thunder Cake recipe is included at the end of the book!
Are you looking for more books for thunder-phobic kids?
If so, check out these titles:
- Franklin and the Thunderstorm by Paulette Bourgeois
- Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle
- Thunder-Boomer! by Shutta Crum
- The Monster Storm by Jeanne Willis
- Listen to the Raindrops: Featuring the Storm Song by Kirk Lignell
Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: Do you have thunder-phobic kids? What has helped? Share here.
I was very sensitive to loud noises as a child, so I was afraid of it for a while. Then I realized that if *I* made a loud noise, the thunder didn’t seem as loud. So I would yell at the thunder (usually something like “you don’t scare me, quit being so loud!”) and it was better. learning about the science behind lightning and thunder also helped. when my daughter was little, I made sure to say that the thunder startled me rather than scared me. That can be a helpful distinction for young kids.
I love this story, and your distinction between fear and startling. So great!
We like to read this book as well and have read the Franklin one. I will have to check out some of the others! We made up a little song about the thunder when my kids were a little younger and that seemed to help for a while.
Songs make everything better!
My son loves a book called Storm Buddies. As a last ditch effort to calm him when the storms hit (because it is when, not if when you live in Missouri) we bought this book, complete with matching stuffed animals in a cloud 🙂
I was super skeptical because really, it’s a silly book about storms and my son was 7. Boy was I wrong! We read it on a calm night and then the first storm after that, he grabbed his storm buddies book and cloud and was a bit calmer than usual. He is now almost 9 and still grabs his cloud of buddies when storms are predicted and is 100% better than before. Storms don’t even phase him now…even when we are on the road and his buddies are at home. http://www.stormbuddies.com is where I got mine.
I need to check this one out. Thank you!