Are your kids scared of thunderstorms?

[JenBayles]

My brother is as much of a weather nut as anyone on this board. He now has 3 boys from infant to almost 4 years.
Early on in the fatherhood stage, he turned storms into a game with the boys. "The lightning flashes, and what does the thunder say?" "BOOOM!" <giggle giggle giggle, jump all over the place> Every little thunder grumble brings them running and ready to have fun. Childless though I am, sounds like a good idea to me.

[Yankeegirl]

I used to be scared of thunderstorms, I grew up in RI, didnt have too many storms there!! When I moved to Houston I learned that I love the storms!

[Lindaloo]

I'm not, but my animals are.

[BreinLa]

Mine too Linda thunder, dog runs on my lap, bird starts yelling, guinea pig starts squelling it's crazy around here lol

[kevin]

Mister Gideon, defender of the home, is terrified of thunder.

[george_r_1961]

I am deathly afraid of lightning after 2 near misses. Other than that im not scared of storms at all

[JenBayles]

Linda, my dog (Maggie the Puppy Pie, Her Pieness on Her Throne) got really psychotic about storms after an unfortunate incident with Dave and a string of fire crackers. Every rumble of thunder would send her into hiding along with the worst shakes I've ever seen on a dog. I did the worst thing possible: tried to soothe her like you would a child. Turns out I was rewarding the behavior and making it worse. I've since started letting her work through it by herself and after a couple months of summer storms, she's hardly bothered beyond a mild nervousness. And yes, that's my little Mag Pie looking through the Mr. Ed door on my avatar.

George - are you a lightning magnet or what? TWO near misses? YIKES!

[CajunMama]

After lightning struck our home in 1989, my son was scared for years. About 10 years ago, the home we are in now was struck indirectly and both my kids were frightened after that. During a storm the kids would make a pallet on the side of our bed.

My neighbor explained what happened as he saw it...there is a tall metal stand that the band director uses over the high school baseball field 4 houses away from my house. Lightning struck the stand and traveled down the street. For some odd reason my house was the only one affected. Blew out my alarm system. Thank goodness the man who witnessed it was president of the alarm company we used!!!!

Both kids have grown out of it now and are fascinated with storms. Now my dogs....different story! I never knew dogs could shake and quiver so much!

[george_r_1961]

Linda, my dog (Maggie the Puppy Pie, Her Pieness on Her Throne) got really psychotic about storms after an unfortunate incident with Dave and a string of fire crackers. Every rumble of thunder would send her into hiding along with the worst shakes I've ever seen on a dog. I did the worst thing possible: tried to soothe her like you would a child. Turns out I was rewarding the behavior and making it worse. I've since started letting her work through it by herself and after a couple months of summer storms, she's hardly bothered beyond a mild nervousness.

George - are you a lightning magnet or what? TWO near misses? YIKES!

Jen the first was when I was about 7 years old and happened in the parking lot of a church of all places. Me and my mother had just gotten out of the car when lightning struck VERY close and knocked us both back in the car. The second time was when I was in my mid 20's and a transformer about 100 feet from where I was standing got hit and exploded.

[JenBayles]

You certainly have had more than your fair share of close calls George. Worst I've personally experienced was lightning hitting our 3rd floor apartment building several years ago. Our ears were ringing for quite some time, and it blew out our one and only television.

My brother had a close call like yours in the church parking lot. He was leaving U of Houston after teaching a class on the weekend and was about the only vehicle in the lot. Lightning struck a nearby light pole and apparently arced over to his truck just as he was reaching out the key to unlock the door. Blew him to the ground, knocked him out for a few minutes, and he reported feeling "weird" for a couple of days. I can imagine!

[Lindaloo]

After lightning struck our home in 1989, my son was scared for years. About 10 years ago, the home we are in now was struck indirectly and both my kids were frightened after that. During a storm the kids would make a pallet on the side of our bed.

My neighbor explained what happened as he saw it...there is a tall metal stand that the band director uses over the high school baseball field 4 houses away from my house. Lightning struck the stand and traveled down the street. For some odd reason my house was the only one affected. Blew out my alarm system. Thank goodness the man who witnessed it was president of the alarm company we used!!!!

Both kids have grown out of it now and are fascinated with storms. Now my dogs....different story! I never knew dogs could shake and quiver so much!

I used to make a pallet by my parents bed too. I also used to try to beat the light being turned off and making it to my bed. I was sooo scared of something being under my bed. But yet, would make a pallet on the floor. lol.

[msbee]

my daughter used to be terrified of thunder and lightning.
She loved Sesame Street so we told her it was just the Count counting and then we would count with her.
calmed her right down.

[azsnowman]

Depends on the kids....the 2 legged kind? Na, my son is as much as a weather nerd as I am, my daughters the same way. NOW....the FOUR legged kids, Gesus...they can HEAR the thunder from Albuquerque New Mexico I swear (178 miles to my east) and YES, they come in the house and HIDE!

[Stephanie]

My "children" are my pets. My poor dog, Rudy, shakes and huddles right on your lap. I feel so bad for him!

I on the other hand, LOVE IT!

[Bobbie Lee]

I love a good thunderstorm!! Her Poochness, however, starts to quiver with fear before we can even hear the thunder. Many times I've woken up during a night storm, with Mary trying to pull her whole self under my chin.

[JQ Public]

my brother still is and he's 21

[coriolis]

My kids worry about tornados, but not about lightning, even though tornadoes are pretty rare here. Usually it's so noisy in this house that you can't hear the thunder anyway. It doesn't faze the dogs either, to them it's just another noise. I'll go out on the porch to watch a good storm and usually one of my boys will come out too.

[DaylilyDawn]

When a severe thunderstorm hits Lakeland, I don't stay out side of the house. I close the curtain and blinds so I don't see the flash of the lightning. I get very apprehensive that something will happen. My reaction to severe storms goes back to Hurricane Donna, I was a child of 5 when it came through my home town of Bartow, about 15 miles from where I now live. I do not like to be in car if a storm hits, I want to get home as fast as possible.

[Bobbie Lee]

I do not like to be in car if a storm hits, I want to get home as fast as possible.

Me, too! I don't even like driving in light rain.

Doesn't Florida get more lightning strikes than anywhere else? Mom took a direct hit one time -- it knocked her clear across the room. I've had an indirect hit; it struck the building I was working in, came through the sewing machine I was operating, and into my arm, leaving that that arm numb for the rest of the day. It didn't even happen in Florida.

[JenBayles]

I just remembered this one: I was on the telephone during a storm back in the olden days of about 1977. Had the phone base sitting on my lap and got one heck of a shock right in the... er... um... nether regions. Ever since I refuse to use a landline phone during electrical storms.