Preparing Children for a Hurricane

Why don’t I have to go to school?  Is it going to rain here?  Are we going to die?

What an interesting week it has been.  My Sunday afternoon and Monday morning were filled with the questions above.  (With emphasis on – ARE WE GOING TO DIE.)  So, as I quickly assured my son that he was NOT going to die due to the storm, I began the normal preparations.  We all live in Florida, we know the drill: check the weather often, check current supplies (flashlights, batteries, and the like) make a run to the store to pick up needed medications, water and some non perishables; things of that sort. 

What I wasn’t prepared for was the honest statement/question of ARE WE GOING TO DIE? I quickly dismissed this question as I now had what I thought were more important things to take care of.  No!  You are NOT going to die.  And on we went with our afternoon of preparations. 

As we watched the storm closely we engaged our son's attention and had him assist with the check list.  (Yes, he attempted to “check the flashlights” for us 100 times.  If we did need them in an emergency, the batteries would probably be dead from him “checking” to see if they would work.) He seemed thrilled to be of assistance. UNTIL...

Bedtime came and with eyes of innocence and the death grip hug (Man, when did he get so strong?), his trembling voice said: ”Are we going to die?”  That is when it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Through all the preparations this had still been a serious concern of his.  YES, I had missed the obvious thing that needed to be attended to: MY SON.  His concerns were real.  His feelings were real.  His inability to understand the severity of the storm and the need for preparation versus the ideal of survival was indeed REAL.

Yes, as parents we took a much needed TIME OUT to discuss what was happening, what it means to “watch” a storm, why we need to be prepared.

What’s the moral to my story? Sometimes we wait and watch for the literal storm when in reality, the storm can be brewing within our own child.  Take time to listen to their concerns.  They are real concerns to them.  Don’t under estimate the power of what may seem to be an absurd question: “Are we going to die?”

After this lesson/reality check for our family I located this helpful information.  (The last page addressed our concerns extremely well.)

My goal for all future storms: Prepare my son FIRST!