MOMMY, CAN YOU STOP THE RAIN?

Distraction, reassurance, and lots of love from attentive parents help a young child feel comfortable and safe during a thunderstorm.

Patient parents answer each simple, innocent question the child poses honestly and with a plausible response for creating a consoling solution. Though Mommy “cannot stop the rain,” eating sprinkled cookies while wrapped in a warm, dry towel should make the child feel better. Though Daddy cannot “shush the thunder,” marching around the table drumming a soup pot with a spoon should mask the scary noise. And while they cannot “turn off the lightning,” “quiet the wind,” or “send away the storm,” they can all be close and stay cozy and warm until the sun shines again. Illustrations washed with purple and lavender depict a dark, gloomy, stormy day and include details that indicate this white family is Jewish. There is a tzedakah box on the table to collect money for charity, Hebrew alphabet letters on the refrigerator and on the building blocks, and a Shabbat candle scene in a child’s drawing on the wall. The text also uses the Yiddish “Zayde” and “Bubbe” when referencing grandparents. Beyond the visually Judaic atmosphere, the realistic strategies demonstrated can be applied to every young family dealing with a frightened child during a loud, turbulent weather episode.

This calming, credible approach to diverting children from the anxiety of volatile storms is a winner.