Amie

Do any of you have children that are terrified of thunderstorms? If so, what do you do to help them? Sam (8) is really really afraid of storms. He is afraid that a tornado will happen. He is hiding out in the basement when it gets just alittle bit windy. I feel so badly for him. I sit with him and we talk, but nothing really helps him feel better until the storm ends.

He saw the movie Twister (at his request) about 6 months ago. Then, one of his friends asked him if he heard about the real tornado that had happened nearby. Then, this friend told him that a tornado can happen even if there is just 10 mile an hour wind. Well, his friend is terrified of storms, so I think a bit of that fear got projected onto Sam. We have read books, looked up information, and talked and talked about movies vs. real life. Nothing is helping him at this point. I have tried positive imagery, and making sure that he is talking about his fear, and what it is he is afraid of. Sometimes he says he doesn't know what he is afraid of, just that something bad will happen. Also, he says that when he hears the loud thunder he thinks of big trees.

I just thought I would post here to see if anyone has some ideas or suggestions that I can try, to help him feel less scared.

Thanks!
Amie

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