Your night is calm and restful and thank goodness finally getting cooler as the wind starts blowing through the night hopefully bringing in some rain clouds which we have been looking forward to with the heat we have been having. But it doesn’t come unnoticed, a slight rumble in the distance and then – BANG! I think all the children (and pets) in the neighbourhood were frightened and woken up by the thunder and parents woken up by the calling of fearful children and downpour of rain. Things that can be done in preparation for these wet and thunderous nights:
- Start telling your child stories that explain why the thunder makes such a loud noise (see further down)
- Then suggest options for hiding undercover
- Diving straight into your bed
- Otherwise, try doing the rain dance for the thunder to STOP, that should put a smile on your child’s face
The story goes: There once was a tiny cloud in the sky and he wanted to be big just like his dad. Every time he saw all the other clouds growing faster than him and they were going to have their party soon to celebrate Big Clouds Freedom Day. Finally, the night had arrived where Little Cloud started to feel a little more full than normal and then he started noticing how he grew a little puffier. As he grew, others around him started coming closer (or so it seemed), he grew wider and started spreading out and bumping into others. This was the start of the celebrations of Big Clouds Freedom Day. The clouds celebrated Little Cloud’s growing body. They bumped their bellies with each other, they cheered and roared in celebration, they clapped their hands and stamped their feet and had a big, roaring, rumbling thunderous party. Little Cloud was now a big cloud just like his dad. My only problem is, how do you help a dog understand this story…… and not be frightened by the thunder and rain, as it whimpers and keeps us up all night….?
