Spring Thunderstorms

We had a spring storm last night during our getting ready for bed time routine. It was the first time this season to see lightning and hear the thunder. I was curious as to how Jenna would react - she is starting to understand "scared" and loud noises have never been her favorite.

We sat together on the couch and I tried to answer all of her "What was that?" questions. I was perfectly aware that she was looking to me for not only an explanation of the noises outside, but was looking to me for how to react. Her eyes would get big each time she heard something. Every time she saw lightning, she'd say "flash light". We talked about the 'silly thunder' and sang along to it 'boom, boom' as it tumbled across the fields nearby. This seemed to work fairly well.

Parker, on the other hand, was visibly nervous about the weather. She doesn't like thunder and will sit as close as she can to you and pant. Despite not mentioning this to Jenna, she told me several times: "Parker scared funder" and "Parker scared rain". She'd tell Parker that it was okay and not to be scared. Either Jenna picked up on Parker's behavior or she was projecting...either way, it was very interesting to me.

This morning, we talked about the storm. I asked her if she remembered the thunder. She said: "I'm not too scary, its just car washer". Car washer of course is her measuring stick by which to compare all things noisy and potentially scary, but won' t hurt you. : )