This is a true story from when my children were little. 'Little Noodle' would have been around 4 or 5. They were full of wonder, and full of questions. The story started when we were travelling home from a trip to the mountains, across the high moorland. I was in the back seat of the car with Little Noodle.
The wide open skies have grown dark over the last few minutes, and suddenly there is a sharp report of thunder directly overhead. Little Noodle eyes fly open wide, and a little gasp escapes. My child buried themself deep into my side. "Mammy, what was that?!" a tiny voice asked. Cuddling my frightened child, I reply, "It's just thunder, Little Noodle. It's nothing to be frightened of." Little Noodle doesn't seem quite sure. "What is thunder? And why is it so loud?"
Thunder: the sudden increase in pressure and temperature caused by lightning producing rapid expansion of the air within and surrounding the path of a lightning strike. This in turn causes the expansion of air, and creates a sonic shock wave.
Is that the correct way to explain 'thunder' to a little child? Perhaps not.
"Well, my dear, let me tell you a story to help explain thunder. High up in the sky, way beyond the clouds, so high up we can't see, there is a weather god called Brenda. Some gods make decisions by tossing a coin, by playing with dice, but not Brenda. She has a huge, giant pool table in the sky, and when she is working out what sort of weather to create she plays a game of pool."
"Pool tables have six pockets. On Brenda's pool table there's a pocket for sunshine, wind, snow, fog, storms and rain. However, this is no ordinary pool table. Ordinary tables have pockets all the same size, not Bredna's. And, Brenda's table is on a bit of a slant. This is why we get so much rain, because the balls all roll down towards it. Thunder is what happens when the balls are rolling and crashing into each other." A calmer child lifts their face to mine, and says "Oh! Okay. … Can we have fish and chips for dinner?" Panic averted. A cute story has taken away fear.
a few days later …
I ask, "Noodle, please go outside and see if we will need raincoats today." The Little Noodle brings over their breakfast dishes to me, then heads outside. Stopping on the doorstep, Noodles eyes search the heavens. Seeing dark clouds, and a light drizzle of rain, a little angry fist is raised, and Little Noodle shakes it at the sky, "BRENDA!"
The moral of this story is "Be careful when you tell your children cute little stories."
The wide open skies have grown dark over the last few minutes, and suddenly there is a sharp report of thunder directly overhead. Little Noodle eyes fly open wide, and a little gasp escapes. My child buried themself deep into my side. "Mammy, what was that?!" a tiny voice asked. Cuddling my frightened child, I reply, "It's just thunder, Little Noodle. It's nothing to be frightened of." Little Noodle doesn't seem quite sure. "What is thunder? And why is it so loud?"
Thunder: the sudden increase in pressure and temperature caused by lightning producing rapid expansion of the air within and surrounding the path of a lightning strike. This in turn causes the expansion of air, and creates a sonic shock wave.
Is that the correct way to explain 'thunder' to a little child? Perhaps not.
"Well, my dear, let me tell you a story to help explain thunder. High up in the sky, way beyond the clouds, so high up we can't see, there is a weather god called Brenda. Some gods make decisions by tossing a coin, by playing with dice, but not Brenda. She has a huge, giant pool table in the sky, and when she is working out what sort of weather to create she plays a game of pool."
"Pool tables have six pockets. On Brenda's pool table there's a pocket for sunshine, wind, snow, fog, storms and rain. However, this is no ordinary pool table. Ordinary tables have pockets all the same size, not Bredna's. And, Brenda's table is on a bit of a slant. This is why we get so much rain, because the balls all roll down towards it. Thunder is what happens when the balls are rolling and crashing into each other." A calmer child lifts their face to mine, and says "Oh! Okay. … Can we have fish and chips for dinner?" Panic averted. A cute story has taken away fear.
a few days later …
I ask, "Noodle, please go outside and see if we will need raincoats today." The Little Noodle brings over their breakfast dishes to me, then heads outside. Stopping on the doorstep, Noodles eyes search the heavens. Seeing dark clouds, and a light drizzle of rain, a little angry fist is raised, and Little Noodle shakes it at the sky, "BRENDA!"
The moral of this story is "Be careful when you tell your children cute little stories."
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