Weathering The Storm With Children

If you would have asked me a week ago what I would do without heat, electricity, water and two boys I probably would have responded by saying, “oh no problem I can weather any storm”. When Hurricane Sandy arrived and I had to make a run for it (which you will find out more about on Mamiverse) I had my husband and brother-in-law pack up toys. How long can toys really entertain children? For a three year old and an eight year old-not that long. I had to be creative and think on my toes at times.

Before the lights went out we read our stories and I kept everything as normal as possible, even in a hotel room. We had our nightly bedtime story and discussions all in the light. When the lights when out I continued this nightly ritual using a flashlight and doing a lot of role play. We made noises because of the dark, which added to the excitement of the read aloud. The boys were all smiles and laughter.

These nightly stories and the use of the flashlight led us to our shadow puppets which the children were thrilled about as well. We created various shapes against the wall taking turns holding the flashlight. I found that the children had less bickering going on shared a lot more. We had a lot of discussion and mommy-son moments together. Great quality time with tons of hugs and kisses without our regular daily interruptions.

Hurricane Sandy would not put a damper on our trick-or-treating plans. I never mentioned to my boys that there may be a possibility they would not be going. On October 31st my son reminded me, “what time are we going trick-or-treating Mommy?” and my response (nervously not knowing how they would take it) was, “at four o’clock”. Knowing that we did not have light and that I would be introducing trick-or-treating to them indoors this year I knew I had to do it before the night settled in. Full costumes and treat baskets they were ready to go. With two angry birds by my side they were nothing but angry, on the contrary they were two happy boys dressed as the bomb bird and the red bird.

I took a moment to explain to the boys they would be trick-or-treating indoors due to the storm and safety concerns. They thought I was the coolest mom ever. They would visit every room in our home that we were extra grateful to have after this storm and they would knock on each door. They did exactly that, knocked on the doors, and with squeals said, “trick-or-treat”. My youngest would greet me with, “gimme the candy” and his huge smile. This huge smile reminded me that even through chaos and rough times we can overcome. At times like this we make the best of the situation and it brings our family even closer and makes us that much stronger. The true test of weathering any storm with your family right by your side.