Fear of Thunder

I tell my kids the Indian lore of it the way my greatgramma told me & it works great with them. she told me that it was the spirits having a horse race. when the horses run on the rocks it makes the thunder & if they hit flint rock then it makes lightning. everytime they splash in the creeks it rains down on us.

I am 36 and almost ashamed to say that I am also afraid of bright sudden lightening and a loud crack of thunder. It nearly sets me into a panic attack. My fear came from when I was little my sibling brothers would scare me even more if there was a storm. I don't like sudden noises now or am easily made to jump. Maybe she could turn a light on by her bed so she doesn't see the lightening so bad and maybe sit with her if it's bedtime and chit chat with her as it's happening to help soothe her.

My 16 month old amazes me when he sleeps through even the most severe storms while I am very much aware of what's going on. I know it's not much help but I know the light has worked for me in the past since I didn't have anyone that would sit with me when I was young and scared.

The other thing you might try, go on the internet or to the library and get books or video about what makes lightening and thunder. I am very fascinated to learn about the planets and the solar system along with what I have seen on storms. Hopefully you can find material that is obviously not graphic and frightening but once she really knows what's going on, maybe it won't be so scary.

My now 6 year old became very afraid during thunderstorms a little over a year ago after lightning struck our alarm system in our house and caused it to go off. Since then I just reassure her that she will be okay everytime there is a storm and she seems to be becoming less afraid. As long as you continue to reassure your daughter and make her feel safe as time passes the fear should decrease.

I have an 8 year old boy who's afraid of it too. We just try our best to remind him that it's outdoors and he's indoors, and give him something that makes him feel safe, secure and take his mind off of it. Used to be a lovey or stuffed animal that we'd have 'protect' him from the noise. I think it's the unknown that they're afraid of. We also remind him that if it were anything dangerous, we too would be afraid and worried, but our job as parents is to keep him safe and sound! Bedtime used to be an issue with a storm, he'd come running out of his room screaming, but we implemented "stay in bed" for safety - because if power's out and he's running in the dark he could get hurt - we keep a flashlight by his bed too for security. It seems silly - but we try to take away every reason to be scared, power out? use your flashlight! scary noise? cover your head w/ your pillow! another big help for us has been to tell him in advance of a storm, and to let him know WE are aware it's coming and we plan to protect the house! Hope this helps - kids have phobias - it's inevitable, I think too much pressure to get them over them can cause them to actually worsen or get even more worried about it. Just treat it like a trip to the doctor, very matter of fact and unavoidable - we can't control Mother Nature - unfortunatlly! Good Luck!

Hi D.-
I have a 4 yr old and a 3 yr old and have told them both it is the "angels" playing in Heaven. I know you may not be in to the angel/heaven thing so maybe you should try something like mother nature or father time.....I tell my kids that they are playing ball and they guess what kind of ball it is...ie, baseball, football, and sometimes nascar(lol).It seems to really help them alot and calm them down. My mom suggested this technique to me and said it worked well with my brother and me. I hope you find a solution I know how hard it is when the slightest rumble is in the middle of the night and the kids are not sleeping. Good Luck!

I'm 29 years old and to this day I want to hide under the bed or be held when it thunders. I remember a trick my mom used to do with me to calm me down when I was younger (I still do it!) and I use with my kids. She used to make a game out of it for me when it Thunders start counting and stop counting when the lighting flashes to see how far away the storm is. The angel bowling used to make me laugh, maybe telling her God is moving furniture instead! Good luck!
B. S

I used to be scared of thunderstorms when I was a child, my mother made storms into nap time. Try to get her to lay down with you on the bed or couch and listen to the rain outside, until she falls asleep. You could try to explain that it is the cold and hot clouds hitting each other, like banging two pot lids together. She may out grow it, but the nap time might help her to relax a little. Then again she may always be scared, but will learn to cope as she grows up. I thought I had outgrown my fear until my car was struck by lighting on the way home one night. It didn't hurt me, just messed up my radio and scared me to death. Then I had to start over again. Storms are good for the environment, but she might be too young to understand that.
Good Luck!

I would consult her doctor and find out what to do. It seems that you have done everything that I would do if it were my little girl. I know that even at times I am scared when there is a thunderstorm, and she may be very sensitive to the noise. I wish you the best.

I will never forget the day that I stopped being afraid of the thunder and lightening. There was a bad storm one night and I was terrified. My mom held onto me and told me what the thunder and lightening really was. Then as the storm began to pass she took me outside while there was just soft thunder and little lightening flashes in the sky and a soft drizzle. I could still hear the thunder and see the flashes of lightening, but I felt so safe in my mom's arms. I think I was about 5 or 6 then, but I'll never forget that day. Last year my 4 and 5 year old neices came to live with us after evacuating Hurricane Katrina. They were TERRIFIED of storms, naturally. I stood outside with them in the rain and listened to the thunder and we said a short prayer and just listened to the thunder and watched the lightening and they say now a year later that they love to go out and safely watch the storms as they go past. This was such a bonding moment for my mom and I and for me and my neices, and maybe someday for myself and my daughter. I hope this helps you!

One of the things M. mom did to help us with thunder (actually it was because she was terrified of it and didn't want us to know) was that she cooked popcorn every time there was a storm and we sat by the window and watched the lightning like it was a movie. This was a huge treat for us because we were never allowed to have any junk food so popcorn was a big deal. And she would point out the lightning and we'd ooh and aah and squeal just like we were watching fireworks. To this day I LOVE storms. Maybe you can find a really fun and special ritual to do with her every time there is a storm that would eventually make her look forward to storms.
Good luck!

There is a picture book that is about a girl who is very scared of thunderstorms, so that she hides under her bed, and how her grandmother helps her get over this fear. Together they make Thundercake, a very yummy cake by the way, the recipe is included, and that provides a distraction as well as turning the thunderstorm into a special event.
The book is called Thundercake and was written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco.