I love rain! I love how it waters the plants; I love how it provides cool breeze. I love watching every rain fall from the sky. As weird as I may sound, I also love watching the rain march together to the drainage. Raindrops bring music to my ears. I promised myself I’ll create a rain-watching spot in my future home. Rain makes me sentimentally-at-peace. I love to dance and wade in the rain as a kid. I hate flood though, I do not like soaking my feet on it, and worst that it can take away lives. But that doesn’t make me love rain less; flood is not the fault of the rain, not even by typhoons or storms. It’s the end result of people’s neglect to the environment. But that’s another story.
Ironically, Uno was my opposite. She fears the rain. She cries every time she hears the rain drops. She hides under the cover or embrace us so tight. I know there is something wrong. It’s anxiety, anew. My only relief was that at least it’s not a phobia. I can say because we could still pacify her, she responds to our soothing well and pretty fast. I just need to find out how we could help her pass this stage fast.
After few weeks of trial and error (it took a little longer because the rain schedule conflicts with my presence, it usually rains when I’m in the office). We succeeded in helping her passed by this anxiety stage. Here’s what we did:
1) Reject the fear. We told her to sing "Rain, Rain Go Away" every time it rains. It will keep her busy and positive at the same time.
2) Accept the occurrence. We constantly convinced her that rain is our friend. And told her how rain made the plants and frogs happy. That she can still be happy and do something even though it’s raining. Our theme song at this stage was “I’m Singing in the Rain”.hehe We also gave her umbrella and told her how it can protect her against the rain. We go out of the house just to prove that.
3) Destruct her attention. We set the TV volume higher, we let her play her tablet, we put earphone on her ears, we read her favorite storybooks especially when the rain comes with thunder.
4) Assure her safety. We call her every time were told that it’s raining in our place. When were together, we stay with her until she’s pacified. We keep on telling her that it’s going to be fine and we’re here for her.
5) Use her language. Use words which she can relate with. Like, “Baby, the thunder you hear is just dinosaurs in heaven gargling, and when they spit the water it becomes the rain, just like you when you brush your teeth”.
She’s a rain anxious graduate now. I am looking forward to the time where we could dance in the rain together.
thanks for the tips, I would sure use it for my nieces and "apo" if I had.
ReplyDeleteYes, you can always use this for future reference.hehe
DeleteNice tips, It will surely help me when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteYou'll never know. =)
DeleteHelpful tips, luckily my kids love rain..:)
ReplyDeleteI don't know where she got that anxiety, but my officemate's daugther went pass that stage too, according to him. So I guess it's pretty normal.
DeleteI love it too when it rains and enjoyed reading how you described it. I also like the idea of a rain-watching spot incorporated in the house. That would be pure bliss!
ReplyDeleteI get tired of standing by the door when its raining, that's why I thought of that.
DeleteI got to laugh at that dinosaur story... I also love the rain but whenever there's a downpour that lasts for more than 2 hours, I get a bit anxious... Ever since Ondoy happened, I don't find it comforting, even if I have a stable roof above my head. I didn't wade in the flood that time but it was so destructive in a lot of areas that I cringe sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI came up with lots of stories, but that 1 was the most, emm, believable.hehe ECan't blame you, everybody became paranoid after that Ondoy.
DeleteWhen my son is still a baby, he was so afraid of the rain too. Gusto nya nakasiksik lang sya skin and super quiet sya. I will just hug him tight naman, close to my heart so he can hear my heart beat and sing a song. I know even if my voice is not that good, it pacifies and calm him.
ReplyDeleteI guess every child passes that stage talaga.
DeleteI have a love-hate relationship with rain too. I've always loved the smell that rains bring. I love watching from the window, or bathing in it. But I also feared for flooding because my grandparents' house would always get flooded (and this is in the compound where we live now too). So I'd always pray for rain, but not too much that livelihoods get destroyed, but enough for classes to be suspended. Labo no? hehe. :)
ReplyDeleteHehe. I pity the rain, it being blamed by the human's fault.
DeleteHow I miss the rain! Summer is on its peak here. I badly need it, even just a minute of drizzle!
ReplyDeleteIt's the perfect beach weather then. =)
DeleteI love rain, actually, but there is something electrifying about how the world looks after the rain!
ReplyDeleteTalking about climate change, I guess.
Deletedon't worry, she'll come around soon enough. i'm getting used to the rainy weather these days myself. in my previous job i used to get anxiety attacks every june because it would automatically mean huge absenteeism for our manila site since the office is located in a flood-prone area.
ReplyDeleteShe had came out already. =)
Deleteidk why most people hate the rain.
ReplyDeletei love rain, its hypnotic, melodramatic - hot cup of joe, a book and rain in the background is what cozy means to me. :)
okay, except for flood and blackouts! :P
Agree! =)
Deleteang cute how you described the thunder and rain.. i wonder until when your baby would believe that story.. hihihi
ReplyDeleteAh actually, I am not sure if she bought that story. Every time I tell her that she just stares at me. lol
DeleteWe are exactly the opposite! I hate rains. I hate it when I cannot go out of the house to buy some food stuff for the house. I hate the smell when it's raining. Most of all, I hate it when it's raining coz kids find it very difficult to go to the school.
ReplyDeleteWe're opposite nga. It's okay for me to get wet when I go out to buy something. And as a kid, I like it when classes are suspended because of rain.
Deletewhen i was a child, i would go dance and play with the rain with my uncles or playmates.. oh i miss the good old days! XD
ReplyDeletei get melancholic when it rains... but i do have fond memories of it. nice to know your daughter is starting to outgrow her fear of it.
Deletei also love rain, i like the cool weather...i fret when i read about uno's story, what's the cause of her fear? if it is recurring a phobia would develop, anyways it needs to identify the cause and talk to a therapist
ReplyDeletethe strategies you've listed to comfort her are great share
I think it's the sound of the rain that frightens her, I don't think (hope) she needs a therapist because she soothes fast (1 of the ways in finding if its a phobia or not).
DeleteI can't understand the fact that it's already September and the rainy season is not yet over. I bought an umbrella at goods.ph (https://www.goods.ph/searchProd.html?keywords=Umbrella), because she is having a hard time going to school in the morning because of the rain. Isabel (my daughter) always do the rain dance, but I told her that it doesn't really work (Am I a bad parent because of that or what?). Thanks for sharing sis hushiella =))))
ReplyDelete