Joshua has changed so much since going to kindergarten. Bobby and I count the ways and add to them often. I am sure Emily and I will both have a post at the end of the year about the innumerable ways kindergarten has affected our kiddos and about the million things they have learned. I giggle when I say this, but in truth, some of this learning has been a wee bit inconvenient for mom and dad.
Like for instance, the unit on weather that Joshua’s class did a couple of months ago where he learned about tornadoes. And the accompanying tornado drills. The combination of which has now rendered him terrified of the possibility of a tornado. Yippeee!
The other day, he asked me what month it was, because he knew while he was on spring break from school it was going to turn from March into April.
“It’s April,” I replied.
“Oh NO! APRIL! TORNADOES!” he wailed. I guess they learned in school that tornadoes are more likely to happen during the spring, which to him means April. Anyway, he was fairly sure a funnel cloud was going to form instantly and carry us all away.
Yesterday morning shortly after waking, he started in on his tornado talk as we were snuggling on the couch.
“What if we can’t get to the basement on time? How come it can’t get us if we’re under the ground?”
I tried to convince him he didn’t need to worry about it, but he has taken to not believing a word I say, so it was difficult!
Then yesterday afternoon in the car on the way to Target, he said, “I know a tornado isn’t going to come when I die.”
“What do you mean, honey?”
“Well, God made heaven a happy place, and when I die, I’ll go there, and since God made it like that, no tornadoes can come there.”
GREAT. Now we’re talking about death AND tornadoes. Yippeee!!
Last night as he was going potty before bed, he asked my husband, “What if a tornado comes while I’m sitting on the potty?”
FOR THE LOVE!!!
Then, 2.2 seconds after I tucked him into bed, the world’s LOUDEST thunderstorm began. The kind that had me running around lighting candles and checking the TV to see if there were in fact, any tornado watches or warnings.
As you can guess, Joshua was a bit, um, AFRAID. It took some creative talking to get him calmed down enough to where he could fall asleep.
I have a feeling this tornado talk isn’t over. Ohio is a stormy place in the spring! With my kindergarten boy and all his new weather knowledge, I think it’s going to be a very long rainy season.
Two comments.
A) Thunder had you running around and lighting candles, and you’re blaming KINDERGARTEN? Might I remind you of the post-traumatic stress disorder you had after the 2008 wind storm that didn’t knock out your power?
and 2) Do not – I repeat, DO NOT – allow him to have a tornado conversation with Grandma Burns.
A) I was only running around lighting candles because I couldn’t find any flashlights.
B) I was only running around looking for a flashlight because I’m afraid of the dark! Um….
C) Don’t worry Joshua was not witness to my panic! I *do* try to keep him from getting my irrational fears, I swear
Ok good. Also, is it a bad sign re: the status of our blog that we’re just talking to each other?
B was terrified last night. To the point of gagging. Really. I have never seen her upset during a storm before. She has recently been having us read or tell her the three little pigs story, so with that in mind, I kept reminding her that we lived in a BRICK house, just like the ones the three little pigs were safe in. It helped a little. The dogs were panicked too, which worried me because of Roscoe’s back. It was a crazy hour or two there at our house.
Ahhh! I’ve gotten so bad about commenting that I never come over here. And today I did and remembered you redesigned and it’s sooooo cute!
Anyway.
I’m very scared of tornadoes. One, because I live in Missouri, and we get them a LOT. Two, because I was in the middle (not technically, but pretty much) of one a few years ago. And three, because I have no basement in my house.
So I say Mr. Joshua is a smart kiddo!
I know this wasn’t supposed to be funny, but it was. I remember learning about these things back in school and being terrified they would happen. My big thing was fire. I was POSITIVE our house would catch on fire when I was asleep and I’d have to hurl myself out the second floor window! 🙂 It WAS a bad storm last night…I was out in my patrol car with all the antennas and I felt like a driving lightning rod!! 😀 I was convinced I would get struck and then the subsequent surge of electricity would cause my taser to discharge with such force the pins would shoot through the holster and lodge in my leg…which all made me laugh and want it to happen. Is that sick? 😉
You may want to skip The Wizard Of OZ!
UP
I can so relate! Will keeps talking about “toRmatos!” And while having a nice family dinner at Skyline the other night, my thoughtful husband somehow brought up the subject of death! When our server approached our table, Will exclaimed, “My daddy just told me my grandma is going to DIE!”
that whole fear of tornadoes thing might be genetic.
because i HATE them. loathe, maybe.
and bout have a nervous breakdown anytime a weather man so much as thinks about saying tornado.
We had the exact same thing happen with Abby, after her first grade class learned about tornadoes, two springs ago. She has been absolutely terrified of them ever since, and thus of thunderstorms as well. She asks EVERY SINGLE NIGHT if there’s going to be a storm, and the only thing we can do on those occasions where one hits at nighttime is to let her sleep downstairs with us, otherwise she keeps everyone else awake too. It’s helped to get her some books with the facts on storms and tornadoes, and she’s made her own ’emergency’ book that goes through everything she’s learned about to do when a storm or tornado hits, but it still doesn’t stop the unreasonable and unrelenting fear. Sigh.
Well I guess I am good to go in this catagory! I LOVE me a good storm, tornado’s…bring them on! I just wish there was no harm involved in any storm….but storms are AWESOME!!! Josie seems to be enjoying them more so now as well because we talk about them ALL the time! It also helps that Uncle Tommy chases them and she thinks that is cool, so does her Momma for that matter!
Jenny-I know that maybe you don’t care for the storms but maybe getting Joshua excited about it, how they function/work and go about it the scientific way would help….I just tell Josie that God is bowling and he needs some help every once in a while!
Good Luck!! 🙂