Thursday 27 September 2018

Helping 2.5 year old cope after tornado


Hi. I have just found this sub so I could ask the Reddit parenting community about this. I do have an appointment with his pediatrician in mid October, but some strategies for now would be helpful.On Friday, a tornado whipped through our quiet subdivision. We were lucky. Our roof was torn off and there is water damage to our sons bedroom, but with a temp roof on, we were able to come home yesterday. My car was also totaled. We've moved my son into our master temporarily and are keeping his door closed after we showed him and explained that we are going to fix it.We were all at home when it happened and I have only vague memories of picking my son up like a football and running to to basement. I remember it sounded like the house was going to come down around us. The noise is something I will never forget. In the aftermath, we were evacuated to our front lawn as there was no way to ensure the structural integrity of our home. We had to wait almost 3 hours for family to be able to get through to pick us up.My son doesn't have the vocabulary to express to me his feelings. He has mentioned 'scares' but I can't pinpoint what it is. Possibly the noise. He is concerned about his favourite park (which was relatively unscathed. The trees that were down have been removed and it looks good.) I plan on taking him there to show him. He was also upset when we came home and the car hadn't been towed yet. He turns to me and says 'Oh no mama's car!' every once in a while. He seems to have a fear of open windows and there was some rain yesterday that reduced him to tears.Until we can get into some sort of counseling, what strategies can I use to help him process this? I'm still working through my own feelings on top of it. I know it's ok to cry in front of him and tell him I'm sad too. I keep emphasizing that we can fix everything and I'm pointing out all the machines and people who are helping. Any additional ideas are welcomed! Thank You! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2ObR8sn

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