Mr. Thunder

Tonight there was a thunder storm and my 4 year old and 2 year old were nervous. They both stumbled into the living room where my husband and I were, sleepy eyed and mumbling, they announced that they wanted to sleep in our bed. "It's okay", I said, as I carried the 2 year old back to her bed. My 4 year old followed and climbed back into her own bed.

I sat there for a moment thinking about how I could help soothe their fears. I wanted to say, "don't be upset, what good is that going to do?" But you cannot speak to young children as you would adults. So instead I explained that Mr. Thunder speaks loudly because he is outside, and therefore uses his outside voice. Mr. Thunder has never been inside and so he is unaware of the use of the inside voice. I went on to explain that Mr. Thunder does not mean to scare anyone, he is just loud. And that he brings us rain; which helps the flowers to be beautiful, the grass green, and it gives all the animals in the wild something to drink.

Heavy little eyelids slowly closed and the girls were fast asleep.

Being affraid of thunder is something that I think every child experiences. Much like every bride becomes stressed and worried at some point during the planning process, it's natural. But much like I told my children (in little kid terms) allowing yourself to become upset will do no good. Remember that the scary thunder brings rain, and the rain brings beautiful flowers. The stressful times while planning your wedding will yield a beautiful result.