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Last night, we had a severe thunderstorm in which the lightning was so constant, you could almost read by it, and the thunder continuously, well, thunderous. I woke in the middle of the night, amazed by the light show, and *feeling* the vibrations in my bed.
I decided to check on the children. The boys were asleep, but when I went into my (newly five) year old daughter's room, she wasn't in bed.
I checked her closet, and there she was, curled up in a fetal position, hands over her ears, shaking like a leaf with tears pouring down her face silently.
I gathered her up, and rocked her. I was amazed at how quickly she calmed down in my arms, perfectly trusting me. I brought her back to our bed, and she cuddled with me, not exactly sleeping, but content.
She was sweet and happy this morning when I got up, all well in her little world. I wish I could make every problem in my children's lives just go away with a cuddle like that.
I decided to check on the children. The boys were asleep, but when I went into my (newly five) year old daughter's room, she wasn't in bed.
I checked her closet, and there she was, curled up in a fetal position, hands over her ears, shaking like a leaf with tears pouring down her face silently.
I gathered her up, and rocked her. I was amazed at how quickly she calmed down in my arms, perfectly trusting me. I brought her back to our bed, and she cuddled with me, not exactly sleeping, but content.
She was sweet and happy this morning when I got up, all well in her little world. I wish I could make every problem in my children's lives just go away with a cuddle like that.
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Date: 2008-08-05 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 02:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 05:39 am (UTC)As to thunder, my mother used to take us kids to the window and rhapsodize about how pretty the lightning, the rain, and the storm was.
Or you could tell my favorite story for kids about thunderstorms.
You see, one day, the cloud kids were playing hide-and-seek. Well, the baby cloud hid really really well. So, when it was dinnertime, no one could find him/her. Mama cloud started to cry and cry. Daddy and Uncle and Big Brother cloud, with their big booming voices, got out their flashlights and started to search for the missing baby, calling out to the baby in their big, booming voices. Eventually, they find the baby cloud, (preferably in whatever place is suggested by the most scared little kid), and bring him/her back to Mama. Then the Mama cloud's tears stop falling, and the searchers stop calling out and flashing their flashlights around. And finally, they get to eat dinner. Of course, for telling to small kids, you elaborate the story, adding details appropriately for their attention span.
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Date: 2008-08-06 09:10 pm (UTC)Since my daughter has autistic tendencies, the lights and continuous noise completely overwhelmed her receptively, I think. Big hugs helped her be able to calm, and being in with us, Fans helping with white noise and heavy curtains blocking the light made that better for her, too, I think.