Argh! Thunderstorms!

[drsweetie]

We've had a larger than usual number of thunderstorms in the past two weeks -- I'm typing this frantically during what I suspect is a brief respite before the next round moves through. Anyway, DD (two and a half years old) has just been a basket case since the thunderstorms started. She's become hypersensitive to any thumping-type of noise (garbage truck, icemaker) and seems to be having nightmares about the thunderstorms, because she's waking up in the middle of the night crying that she's scared of the thunder even though there hasn't been any storm activity at all. She's also become extremely clingy, and I attribute it to the thunderstorm issue because she talks about the thunder all the time. DH and I have, I think, done a good job of reacting calmly and reassuringly to both the storms and to DD, and I'm sure this will pass eventually, but we're awfully tired in the meantime, and nothing we say or do seems to be reducing her fear. Does anyone have any suggestions for helping us help DD cope better with thunderstorms?

Ellen

[TraciG]

no suugetions, just wishing you luck & more sleep !

[phirey]

We taught DD to cheer every time she heard thunder. She'd still cry if she was woken up by a storm, and even clung a little, but every clap of thunder was greeted with a "yay!" from the whole family for a while.

Funny story, last summer DH and I went out on a rare date and left DD with MIL. While we were gone DD developed a bug of some sort -- fever, clingy, etc. MIL rocked her in her living room and when she fell asleep, MIL just let her sleep on the sofa so she could keep an eye on her. A thunderstorm started and MIL was cracking up because every time it thundered a weak little voice would whisper "yay!"

Good luck. We've been having to retrain DD with this round of storms. You must be here in the South.

[Corie]

I have a funny story to tell you about thunderstorms.

My husband and I were at Target and a huge thunderstorm
was going on outside. And I'm talking a really bad storm!!

So, I'm at the magazines looking around and my husband says
that he is going over to the games (Playstation, Nintendo, etc.)
I can usually find him there challenging some young kid to
a game. One time, I heard a kid yelling to his friend,
"That old guy is totally beating you!!" So funny!! :)

Anyway, all of a sudden the lights inside Target flicker on
and off and then the lights go completely dead. I am standing
there in the middle of Target and it is pitch black.

Then, I totally start to freak out!! At the top of my lungs,
I am screaming my husband's name. I'm seriously sweating
at this point. Then, my husband says, "Corie, I am still
standing beside you! Stop screaming in my ear!"

We still laugh about it to this day! Boy, I really lost it!!