From the tornadoes this year in Oklahoma to the recent hurricane
in the Philippines, 2013 has been a scary year. Images of devastation, homes
flattened, people clinging to rafts and children crying have been broadcast
over and over again.
Horrific? Absolutely. But adults have developed coping
mechanisms. If the devastation is far away, like the Philippines, we forget
about it. If it’s closer home, we may send in money to the Red Cross or similar
organizations. If it’s in our backyard, we are more motivated. We may actually
join in the disaster efforts, even to the point of volunteering.
But 5-year olds have not developed coping mechanisms. While
adults may think that the little guy is not watching, he is, in fact, paying
attention and absorbing the images.
Last week, all TV channels had a ticker running from the
National Weather Service advising viewers about an impending tornado. Main
areas were in Florida and Georgia with spillover in some counties in South
Carolina.
My little 5-year old grandson Neil was here for the
Thanksgiving week. The advisory scared him, and he asked me several times if ours
was one of the counties in the tornado’s path. I told him no, we were not near
the path at all.
His next question: Why do we have to have tornadoes?
I told him how tornadoes formed, about weather patterns and how
the Red Cross has shelters where we would stay till the tornado passed with
plenty of food and water. I wanted him to feel safe.
What I actually told him was what tornadoes were and how we
were going to remain safe. But I didn’t really answer his question, did I?
