Fears

Buzz has begun this insane fear of storms.  I say insane because I cannot recollect a recent traumatic event in which he would have grown such a fear.  I say insane also because storms have become a major obsession with him. 

When I am checking the important events of my day, I mean reading my favorite blogs, he interrupts every 3.2 seconds to ask to see the Doppler radar for the area.  He is well versed in the red color boxes (tornado warnings) and yellow boxes (severe thunderstorm warnings).  He has asked about the different colors in the Doppler so often that he can explain it better to my parents than I can. 

He also has issues with wind.  If he sees so much as one leaf flutter he is in full panic mode, with wide eyes, and is asking when the wind will end and if there is a tornado nearby.  He frequently asks about floods.

There are nights in which he refuses to go to sleep even though he was droopy eyed over his mashed potatoes one hour prior to bedtime.  He has been up with us until 10pm, which in my mommy eyes is way too late especially since it is cutting in to my DadOfAllTrades time.

 

I am truthfully not sure how to handle this.  DadOfAllTrades and I have tried a few things: 

1. Humor him and fire up the Doppler radar sites. 

2. Borrow books regarding weather and it’s causes from the library.  

3. Ignore and blow off. 

4. Explain calmly that we have never seen a tornado in all our combined 84 years even though we have seen many a storm.  

Frankly we are running out of resources and the fear has not subsided in any way.  While it has not gotten worse in the midst of this tornado season, it has not subsided and it appears he has not learned the science we are trying to teach him (like it must be a hot day for a severe thunderstorm, not a day where one must wear a sweatshirt because they are shivering.)

So, I know that tonight I will be glancing googly-eyed at the computer screen while Buzz is up late once again to wait for the storm to pass.  Sigh…another season of motherhood to learn to enjoy.