Cotton Wool Kids - How Overprotective Parenting is Actually Harming Our Children

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What is happening to our kids?
What we are seeing in the media and particularly on the news at university campuses is a rise in mental and emotional disorders among our kids and young adults. We all want our children to grow up safe and happy, don't we? But what if the way we are parenting is making them the opposite? In unpicking this tangle of an issue I want to focus on the influences on a child's life, how a child's brain is affected by their activities, what is making kids and young adults so afraid and the characteristics we need to develop in our kids.

What is driving this phenomenon
My personal opinion is formed by my formal education as a Special Ed and High School Teacher and Counselor and from working with at-risk kids for almost three decades. It's not something I just came up with a minute ago, it's a problem I have observed for a long time. Thirty years means the kids I taught when I first graduated are now parents. What sort of parenting are they providing? What examples did these young parents have? The children of these parents are now finishing high school and starting university.

How can kids from loving families feel such despair?
What I've noticed is that more children are presenting with emotional despair, PTSD, suicidal tendencies and uncontrolled anxiety. In the last ten years as a teacher I was shocked at the number of quietly despairing children who had already contemplated how they would kill themselves. And these were kids of  ordinary people, loving parents. Children feel less able to cope with basic elements of life. They feel powerless and overwhelmed and therefore are too reliant upon adults instead of figuring things out for themselves. Where is the resilience?

There's a prevalence of 'getting in touch with your feelings' and expressing them openly that probably came from a sensible idea but has led, in reality, to a preoccupation with one's own feelings to the expense of the feelings of others. I've also noticed a rise in anger issues and a blaming culture. None of these things enable children to develop healthy social habits or give them a positive sense of themselves and their abilities.

An unhealthy attitude shift
There's been an attitude shift and not just at the university level. What we have now is a tidal wave of intolerance -

• intolerance of others' opinions 
• intolerance of difficulties they encounter
• intolerance of any form of hierarchy
• intolerance of authority
• intolerance of debate
• intolerance of political differences
• intolerance of others' feelings

What is the relationship between the rise in anxiety and depression and this  anger and intolerance?

Is technology to blame?
My short answer is, yes, partly. Children in Primary school are spending a lot less time playing outside in the dirt and on grass, sorting out their differences, communicating directly, having to cooperate. Where are they? Indoors, staring at their phone or tablet, on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat etc. or watching movies and TV shows. Among college students their virtual life can overtake their actual life, bringing with it all sorts of problems such as mobile phone addiction and sleeplessness. According to David Rosenberg, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Wayne State University 1 in 5 university students suffers with anxiety and depression. And what does he put top of his list as a factor? Dangers in technology. In an insightful article, here he explains:

Social media and technology are among the most dangerous of these factors. Excessive use of each tends to engender impaired social interactions and an increased sense of isolation.

Excessive social media use also fosters a certain competition between one’s real life and one’s virtual life. That is, a tug of war between being engrossed in posting experiences on social media, sending texts and taking selfies instead of enjoying the moment for what it’s worth.

Many college students are living dual virtual and real lives, and the virtual life is competing and at times becomes more important than real life. This is not only something that those of us in the trenches see clinically but it has been well- documented in research studies.

Several other studies have found that mobile phone addiction, as well as excess smartphone use, is also associated with increased sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety and overall stress.

These habits begin at home when children are young. It's just too easy for parents to give in and let children sit there, unmoving, for hours. And this lack of interaction is having a huge impact, both mentally and physically.

A lack of physical movement is making our kids dumber
What a lot of people may not understand is that physical movement in childhood is vital to cognitive development. Kids learn so much from interacting with their environment - climbing trees, playing with water, jumping over obstacles, squeezing through tunnels. They become attuned to their body, which helps them control it and become aware of what is around them. Their brain grows faster and stronger from having to navigate obstacles, think about how to solve problems, work out the best option, interact with others and manage risk. Their mental processing, and mostly importantly, self regulation, grows too as they ask themselves:

• Which way would fit better? 
• What is safer? 
• How far can I lean without losing my balance? 
• How strong am I? 
• Can my arms support my weight?
• If I pedal harder will I make it up the hill?
• If I rest a bit I can then keep going
• Should I share this?
• Does he/she need help getting up?
• How far can I throw this?
• How can I make sure he/she catches it?
• What's that noise?
• How can we cooperate so we both get what we want?

Daniel Goleman, in his ground breaking book, Emotional Intelligence, says: "...how crucial it is for social competence to notice, interpret, and respond to emotional and interpersonal cues." This you cannot learn from chatting online and using emojis! In fact, emojis were created because people were misinterpreting each other online, because virtual communication, by its very nature deprives users of the vital body and facial cues of others which make up 70% of human interaction.

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University protests are the new fascism
I support the idea of protest against injustice, of course I do. But what I am noticing now is the aggressive intolerance of young adults to anything that they don't agree with. The anger and hatred is so powerful! And misguided. Guest speakers have had to be escorted safely off campus by police. Students have tried to sue other students for simply using campus resources they wanted segregated for a particular group. Ironically, in the name of 'tolerance' more rifts are appearing, more delineations, groups and identities separate from the rest. Being 'special and different' has become an obsession. Being angry at someone has become the norm. Saying whatever you like without allowing others the same right has become acceptable. I've witnessed outrageous, infantile public behaviour that left me shaking my head in disbelief.

The expectation seems to be that everyone must think the same, that no one is allowed to discuss or debate or present their ideas rationally, calmly and intelligently. I hear statements like: "You can't say that!" and "That's offensive!" 

I've seen 'protests' used as a form of suppression of free speech and the free flow of ideas. It's a new form of fascism, by people who claim to be fighting fascism! Hilarious really, if it wasn't so dangerous. The sheer audacity of some of the students who elect themselves moral judge of others beggars belief. And unfortunately, the rise of Political Correctness has created and nourished this monster.

In their brand new book, The Coddling of the American Mind, moral psychologist Jonathon Haidt and free speech lawyer Greg Lukianoff discuss an interesting paradox that is emerging in American universities; a campus radicalism which fuses fragility with extreme intolerance. This generation has been brought up protected and coddled but has this produced young adults who protect and coddle others? The opposite is true. Their intellectual energy has been misdirected into an inward facing philosophy. Inner rage is surfacing, looking for a target and any target will do. Instead of uniting for a cause that actually produces something positive for society, the focus seems to be upon ripping everything apart. Instead of feeling strong and independent, confident in their own thoughts but OPEN TO OTHERS' OPINIONS we end up with rage, irrational behaviour and, to put it bluntly, self centred, attention seeking behaviour and an overriding fear of practically everything. Worse, it's becoming ubiquitous.

So why are these young adults so angry and afraid?
It comes back to parenting, to the messages they received from school, the media and peers. This generation grew up with Facebook, fake news, an obsession with looks that borders on hysteria and a declining sense of decorum, modesty, thoughtfulness of others and a sense of duty to society. This generation has whatever they want, just one click away. They've been sitting there in the corner chatting online, inside the virtual world instead of being out in the real world, coping with reality. Their expectations are therefore warped by this artificial world. Their sense of their place in the broader society is warped.

When I ask kids what they want to do when they grow up/leave school quite a few lately have said "Social Justice." I respond with, "That's not an actual job, it's an idea. What do you want to be?" They are fed a diet of fighting against every different opinion, without regard to evidence, proof or debate. I was gobsmacked when my kid came home from school one day spewing hatred about the Prime Minister. When I challenged the assumption and asked for proof she had very little understanding (of course) of BOTH sides of the issue they had apparently 'discussed' at school. She came home with blind vitriol, instead of respect for the office of Prime Minister. The hatred she displayed was quite alarming. It wasn't a healthy questioning of authority as part of a democratic society. And the broader effect has perhaps escaped the notice of teachers/adults - if a child can't feel safe in the knowledge that the leader of their country, the adult at the highest level, is competent and respected, what hope do they have of feeling confident about their community, their school, their family?

A similar over-the-top reaction was evident the day Donald Trump was declared the new USA President. My child, who lives in Australia mind you, came home visibly distressed, saying Donald Trump was going to kill people and blow up the world. I patiently explained that Trump had won a democratic election, that Americans wanted a change, that there were issues we didn't understand because it's not our country and that it was none of our business. I assured her that no one was going to blow up her world, that she was safe. It begs the question: did she get these ideas from her teacher? Doubtful. The media and other kids? Highly probable.

So if the media are deciding how a child feels about themselves and their world, and the media is driven by appealing to our baser instincts, catastrophising for money, of course children are going to be anxious! Have you watched the news lately? Have you seen any music videos lately? Have you seen what kids are saying to each other online lately? What they're watching?

It's not uncommon for me to go to a cinema to watch a film rated MA (15 years +) and see young kids in the audience. I was absolutely horrified recently to see the trailer for a new MA rated movie, supposedly a comedy, with clearly adult content and, of all things, Muppets. Yep, you read that correctly. Muppets. So, I'm wondering just which audience is this film made for? Young kids are going to beg to see it, because it's got harmless 'Muppets' they recognise from Sesame Street. Movie ratings are decided by a panel of our peers for very good reasons - to protect children from things they don't yet understand. And yet parents ignore them. The moviemakers are partly responsible. They know that children are going to be attracted to seeing this adult content movie but they make it anyway. So it's up to parents to put on the brakes and make an ethical decision for their child. But will they?

We have a situation now where children as young as five have body image issues. Where does that come from? I can't see the average mum looking down their nose and making snide comments about their five year old's weight, can you? But glamourising the 'perfect' body and face is a big part of almost every reality show on TV, in every magazine on display in the newsagent.

Online influences and filters
Parents, I believe, give in too early to the incessant demands for a) a phone and b) unsupervised internet access. Both of these are disastrous. We are not born with built-in filters. This is a skill we learn. Hopefully from our parents. What parents are doing is allowing their kids to make the important decisions, thinking this is giving them responsibility, when it is in fact the parents' responsibility to keep them away from harmful online influences and teach them how to manage their online habits. In any case, why does a child of nine need a phone? It's not for safety. They are always under the care and supervision of adults, whether it's at home, at school or on the bus in between. A phone is primarily for communication. But these days it's used as a babysitter. The result is kids become preoccupied with the minutiae, the tiny unimportant aspects of life, such as what people are wearing and saying. This affects how kids see and value themselves. And it's rarely a positive influence.

It's well documented that when children are exposed to violent content, it becomes reflected in their behaviour. Of course it does! Otherwise advertisers wouldn't be making gazillions every day. What we watch becomes part of us.

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So what's this got to do with overprotecting kids?

As E.D. Hill, journalist and mother of eight children says in her excellent book, I'm Your Parent, Not Your Friend :

"After decades of experts telling us to raise our children in the opposite way than our ancestors, because 'it's better for the child,' we are struggling with problems they never expected. The theories of kids have greater autonomy from their parents, wearing clothing that expresses their individuality; attending open, non-judgemental schools and receiving unconditional approval have been an abysmal failure. The result is increasingly violent juvenile crime, extreme disobedience, staggering rates of depression, millions of children on medicine to help them behave normally, and skyrocketing obesity." (p.200)

Life Skills Your Child Needs

My view is, by the time your child finishes school they need to have these basics:

1. Social aptitude. Being able to read social cues, understand the 'feel' of a situation by noticing body language and facial/voice cues of others is extremely important for not just everyday life, but for functioning in the working environment as well as intimate relationships.
2. Personal care. This doesn't just mean showering! It means knowing how to cook proper healthy meals for yourself, keep your living environment clean and tidy, disposing of your rubbish thoughtfully etc. Dressing appropriately!
3. Manners. Being thoughtful of others, showing care and concern, (even if you don't agree with their ideology!) Basic politeness, especially in public spaces!
4. Conflict resolution. Respect means we can agree to disagree. Shake hands and walk away. You don't get to decide what other's think and feel! There are often two sides and it's important to understand both. Intelligent, rational people are interested in understanding views different to their own. It makes for a more well rounded person and more cohesive society.
5. Respectful of authority and public amenities. Everywhere you go, every public amenity you use, whether its a train, a bus station, a road, a toilet, a hospital or a library, has been built from tax dollars paid by working citizens. The people in charge of the enormous task of delivering those services, human though they are, deserve our respect and compliance. Trashing public amenities is kicking tax payers in the face and all the hard work ordinary people do to build facilities.
6. Have goals for yourself. Immediate and long term planning, working towards goals, having a positive attitude, not waiting for someone to provide what you need. Save up! Have a plan for your life and think about steps to get there.
7. Personal attitude. Have a positive attitude about yourself, be proud of your achievements, continue to grow and learn about life, become the best human being you can be. Be humble when it's appropriate! Be prepared to change your beliefs as more information comes to light. Have an open mind to other ideas. Be positive towards others and their achievements too.
8. Character. Put time, thought and effort into developing your character. What kind of person do you want to be? Whom do you admire? What positive characteristics do you mean to develop in yourself? How will you contribute to society? What positive influence will YOU have on others.

Parents are the key to success
The most powerful influence in a child's life is still their parents. And yet many abdicate this responsibility, handing it over to TV shows, movies, and worst of all ADVERTISERS, who get to choose what influences a child's thinking, how they feel about themselves and their world, what news they see, what music they hear, whose opinion they follow. What we see and hear becomes part of our thinking, which then influences our actions. Who we associate with changes us, even as adults. Our kids must develop the skills to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy influence, to develop discernment. And that is our job to teach them. We must provide good role models for them to copy, because copy they will. The result will be a young adult who knows who they are, is confident in their abilities, is resilient in the face of hardship, is respectful of others, is polite and well mannered, acts responsibly and intelligently and is on the road to their goals and dreams with hope in their heart and a plan of action.

This young adult won't have the time or the heart for slamming others. This young adult will know where to get help if they need it but will be focussed upon striding forward to achieve their goals.

The most powerful antidote to anxiety and distress is hope. Hope in oneself. Hope and trust in others.

ANXIOUS KIDS - How do I know if my child is experiencing TOO MUCH ANXIETY?

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Anxiety like never before
Is the situation worse now these days or are we just imagining it? There's no doubt our childhoods were different to those of our children. There are social pressures on our kids that we didn't have, such as (the big one) social media, cyber bullying, media images affecting body image, fewer stay-at-home parents, faster paced everything, dietary changes, less outside play and more.

Some level of anxiety is NORMAL. But a lot of kids seem to suffer too much with anxious thoughts. This is when parents sometimes become alarmed and look for help.

What is 'normal' anxiety?
It's normal to be a little anxious about these sorts of things:

• first day at school
• seeing a new doctor
• meeting a relative you've never met
• being alone in the dark
• going to bed in winter
• a dog barking at you
• hurting yourself
• getting lost
• losing track of Mum when shopping

Normal anxiety:

• feels uncomfortable, but not life threatening. 
• passes fairly quickly.
• is often overcome with encouragement
• can be talked through and managed

When anxiety levels rise and spill over to heightened anxiety that cannot be contained, or the anxiety stops your child from interacting normally, then we're entering into phobias/obsessive thoughts/panic attacks territory.

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What are the physical symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural mechanism in our brains designed to keep us safe from danger. It involves:

• the brain
• blood circulation
• hormonal system
• muscular system

It begins with a thought in our consciousness, which makes us aware of danger. This triggers a reaction in our brain, which causes adrenaline to be released, which raises our heart rate. Blood flows to our limbs getting us ready to run away or fight. The feeling of needing to run is very high. This is a chemical reaction in our body. Perfectly normal. And if the danger goes away or proves to be a false reaction (no actual danger), the chemicals dissipate and our body returns to normal.

Normally, these physical changes are lightning fast and uncontrollable. As soon as the thought enters our head, the changes occur. Similarly, as soon as we realise there is no actual danger, the thought triggers a calming down process.

It is also normal to have sweaty hands and forehead, a thumping sensation in the chest, tingling in the hands. But, as I mentioned, these feeling pass.

How do I know if my child is experiencing too  much anxiety?
Sometimes extra 'sensitive' children may feel anxious over smaller, trivial things. Or children may feel heightened emotions due to trauma they have experienced or are in the middle of experiencing, such as family break-up, death of a loved one, relocation to a totally new environment. Many children with Asperger's Syndrome or Attention Deficit Disorder experience intense anxiety as part of their condition.

There are lots of triggers in a child's life that can cause a rise in anxiety symptoms. This usually passes with time and gentle understanding on the part of the adults in their life.

If a child:

• is having trouble breathing, 
• their eyes are wide and they have a look of terror on their face, 
• suddenly screams 
• hides in their room crying over a trivial matter
• can't stop crying
• refuses flatly to go to school
• becomes physically violent in their panic
• vomits from stress

These are symptoms of distress. Your child needs help. 

How do I help my anxious child?

The first step is to make an appointment with your GP. Do a bit of research and find a GP with counselling experience or one who specialises in children.

Secondly, begin reading up on strategies for managing childhood anxiety. From my work with children and their parents over 28 years I have written a book especially for children. 

12 Annoying Monsters - Self talk for Kids with Anxiety 

It's packed with information, fun activities and is designed to get parents and children talking about this very issue. There are many useful tools in this book that parents and children have loved. It has also been used by psychologists and counsellors in their practices.

My son loved it. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It was insightful, compassionate and used kid-friendly language. I truly enjoyed reading it. I only wish I had a book like this when I was a child.

– Flavia Young, Publicist and blogger

Your 'Monsters' book is excellent Dawn. I am giving it to my daughter (Special Needs Teacher) to see if she can utilise it in her work as well.

– Harry Mayr, Principal Psychologist, St Marys/Penrith Psychological Services

First term back at school anxiety - chase those monsters away!

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First Term Anxiety
It's the end of first term. How has it been for you? What about your little munchkin? If it's the first term EVER, life has changed radically for both of you. If it's the first term AGAIN, life can still be challenging if your child is prone to having anxious thoughts. School isn't home. The comforts of your own environment just aren't there. And when Mum or Dad isn't there, life can be a bit overwhelming. Teachers are great at dealing with these issues, but they do have so many other kids to attend to. Eventually your child will have to learn his/her own strategies for overcoming these anxious times. It's a skill for life.

Firstly, it helps to identify the problem.
For this to work your child needs to be able to discuss what happened, how they felt, how their body felt, and what thoughts they had. Mindfulness isn't as hard as you think. It just takes practice. Help your child to become mindful. When you're out together and you see something, or something happens, ask the question - 'What did you think about just then?' For example, if your child reacts badly to an event, such as burst into tears or fire up angry, ask them, what did you think just then? What thought did you have? My kidlet said the other day that she thought "I'm never going to fix this!" And so an anxious moment followed. Also, her reaction was a bit over the top because she had misinterpreted what happened. For younger children this level of self reflection might not be possible. So focus on how the body feels. Or use a toy/puppet show to talk about the situation. Often a child finds these less confronting and easier to handle because it's not directly about them, it's about the puppet. Genius, isn't it? Counsellors and psychologists use this method for tuning in to a child's mental state.

So what has this to do with school anxiety?
Much of our response to stressful situations brings on anxiety because w feel we are not in control of what is happening and we fear the outcome, ie: get into trouble, get hurt, lose a parent, become lost etc. I know myself that in new situations I wonder how I will be perceived, whether I will find my way around a new place without getting lost or being late. For children starting school again or for the first time there is the worry that:

• Mum or Dad are not going to be there 
• the teacher is new, a stranger 
• there are unfamiliar children in the class 
• the classroom is new and unfamiliar
• the routines are different (child doesn't know what is going to happen or when)
• other children won't play with them/like them
• they will make some sort of mistake and get into trouble

So how do you begin working on mindfulness with your child? In my book 12 Annoying Monsters - Self Talk for Kids with Anxiety I provide resources to help kids find the right words to describe how they are feeling, to look at what makes them feel anxious.

What are you afraid of?

Here’s a little exercise to help you identify what it is that you fear or are anxious about: Say this and fill in the missing bit –

“I am scared of ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_______________ because ____________________________”

“When I’m scared it stops me from ___________________________________”

“If I wasn’t scared, I would be able to __________________________________”

I also explain the physical symptoms of anxiety, and that even though it seems very scary at the time, these symptoms do go away if you focus on breathing evenly and deeply, speak to someone about what is happening and find a distraction.

Foods that HELP ANXIOUS CHILDREN

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Anxiety and Food - is there a link?
Does the food we eat make us more anxious or do we eat certain foods because we're anxious? Is this a natural behaviour that evolved from survival 'in the wild' where we needed high calorie foods for energy to escape danger? These questions were explored through a study by Murphy and Mercer article published in UK completed in 2013. The results indicated the following:

• What a mother eats during pregnancy and while breast feeding can impact upon the child's mood and later food choices
• We tend to be attracted to certain types of foods when we are anxious. This may seem to be a natural response in our bodies. In the natural environment where we might be in danger it would be helpful, but in our modern environment where we are mostly inactive and not in immediate threat of danger, these foods just make us fat.
• Anxious people may be born with that tendency and their food choices may reflect this
• It is possible for Children conceived and breast fed with high caloric foods such as high in sugar and saturated fats to change their dietary habits later in life
• Eating to feel better sets up a cycle that may be difficult to break away from. The more we eat of these foods, the more we want and feel we need them.

Treats or Traps?
Many parents feel it is a battle to get their children to eat fruits and particularly vegetables, while at the same time don't want them to 'miss out on treats like the rest of the family.' From the above research it would seem that the diet of the mother is crucial in the process of establishing healthy food choices in your child simply because foods and the body's response are chemical processes that affect the child connected to her body through either being in utero or breast feeding. So,

• Model good food choices yourself. Your children copy you.
• Don't give your young child chocolate, sugary drinks, potato crisps, deep fried foods AT ALL while they are developing their 'taste buds'. It takes a child up to 15 goes to become used to a new flavour. Persist! Don't have alternatives in the cupboard.
• Children have brand new taste buds, naturally sensitive to even the subtlest flavours. There is NO NEED to give them spicy, sugary, salty foods to keep them 'happy'. For a snack, celery sticks, carrot sticks, cheese cubes, apple slices, banana etc to chew on and WATER to drink. I shudder when I see babies and toddlers in prams with a bottle full of Coke or fruit juice. There is absolutely no need for either. You are setting them up for a lifetime of struggle with their weight and nutrition!
• When we want a treat or feel depressed a pick-me-up may well be in order. But keep it to a SMALL AMOUNT.

 

sliced apple, rye bread, celery sticks with cream cheese, eggplant (aubergine) dip, salami, sweet corn, swiss cheese slices

Other considerations
Diets low in Magnesium can increase anxiety related behaviours. The Harvard Medical School health blog has some great tips here

• Keep meals regular. If you skip meals your blood sugar level drops, making you feel jittery and anxious
• There is a definite link between gut health and mental health. Probiotics may also help anxiety, as they help gut health, which impacts greatly upon mental health.
• Choose complex, unprocessed carbs such as whole grains and starchy vegies which take longer to digest. These keep you calmer for longer.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine. These alter your mood artificially and can easily be overused, worsening the problem.
• Legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains, also spinach have lots of Magnesium

Other foods which will help reduce anxiety and improve mental health 
Some foods actually increase dopamine and serotonin levels in the body, helping you feel better!

• Foods rich in zinc such as oysters, cashews, liver, beef, and egg yolks have been linked to lowered anxiety.
•  Asparagus, avocado and almonds
• pickles, sauerkraut and kefir
• fatty fish such as wild Alaskan salmon

Foods designated as high in antioxidants also help reduce anxiety

• Beans: Dried small red, Pinto, black, red kidney
• Fruits: Apples (Gala, Granny Smith, Red Delicious), prunes, sweet cherries, plums, black plums
• Berries: Blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries
• Nuts: Walnuts, pecans
• Vegetables: Artichokes, kale, spinach, beets, broccoli
• Spices with both antioxidant and anti-anxiety properties include turmeric (containing the active ingredient curcumin) and ginger.
• dark chocolate, in small amounts!
• eggs
• green tea

Sleep issues?
According to this article, avoid proteins such as chicken, cheese and turkey at bedtime. They actually interfere with the body's production of tryptohpan, which winds down your brain for sleep. Carbs, on the other hand, make you sleepy.

There are countless websites with recipes you can try, simple things to put in the lunchbox. Its just a case of reaching for the vegetable peeler instead of the packet of chips.

Habits! That's what we're trying to form.
And healthy ones, at that.

For more ideas on simple, quick meals for kids click here http://secretstohappykids.blogspot.com.au/

BAD weather and anxious kids

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When the thunder booms I think its pretty cool and love to snuggle up, but when I was a child I was afraid of it. One night Dad sat me on the front verandah and explained the different types of lightning, how the sound is made when air pressure cells collide and how wonderful rain is for the Earth. I haven't been afraid of storms since.

But I am afraid of wind tearing off the roof.

I have to admit, the screaming sounds and rattling of the windows and roofing iron do my head in. Lots of kids suffer with this same fear. It's perfectly natural to want to feel safe and nature is a powerful force we cannot control. In my work with children over 28 years I have always maintained that knowledge is the key to independence and conquering fears. Knowing how and why things work helps a lot to rationalise what's happening. And so the day after the storm hubby went up into the roof and informed me the house was very solid. A builder came to inspect minor damage due to wear and tear and even he said it was fine. Just needed a bit of silicone on the roof screws.  In time we will replace the tin, but this place has been here for 100 hundred years and isn't going anywhere. Our neighbour said the exact same thing about his house, of a similar vintage.

Focus on the positives
I'm sure there are great youtube clips you could watch with your child to explain the phenomena which frighten him/her. Perhaps have special activities for stormy days, such as drawing and colouring in pictures of stormy weather, adding happy, smiling faces or fun, ridiculous things you could do in a storm if you had super powers. Card games, favourite shows or music would also help. Some people swear by essential oils. 

What you don't want to do
Is check the weather predictions all the time. this will increase anxiety. If you've taken all necessary precautions and are safe, checking wont change anything and can lead to a phobia of weather.