* Go away, Dorian!

As we watch Hurricane Dorian ravage the coastlines of North and South Carolina, I’m reminded of a kiddo who was ravaged by your everyday storms. Ellie (not her real name) had a serious anxiety disorder, a compulsion to obsess on anything weather-related. We all knew that this stemmed from the trauma in which her twin died in a car accident; it was one of the first things she told me about herself. Given the vagaries of the brain, her fears had latched primarily onto the weather, although she had numerous other anxieties.

(We are getting wind and rain but are not in the worst of it.)

Do you know how hard it is to keep kids from talking about things like hurricanes and tornadoes? Ellie and her classmates went into overdrive regarding catastrophic events, only Ellie couldn’t stop panicking. I wonder if she has ever received any cognitive behavior support for those crippling fears. I hope so. For Ellie and all the rest of us, go away, Dorian!

3 thoughts on “* Go away, Dorian!

  1. Trauma is such a powerful force that it can rear its head again and again. I feel great empathy for children such as Ellie. Most of the experiences I’ve had with kids being frightened by elements of weather were simply because it was something they were unfamiliar with. Thunderstorms seldom happen where I live, but they can cause great angst for children when they do.

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  2. Pingback: * TToT: my week | Teachezwell Blog

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