Angie Bailey, 45, left, and her daughter Jashen Bailey, 14, clean the inside of Victory Baptist Church’s fellowship hall while looking for salvageable items Friday morning in Rainsville. Alabama, two days after a massive tornado reeked havoc on their community.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free PressTIPS FOR PARENTS• After a child has been through a trauma, consider reducing the time he or she spends watching the news or scary movies to help prevent nightmares.• Don’t think in terms of “talking” to your child, but rather think in terms of “listening to how the traumatic incident has been experienced by your child.”• Ask questions such as: “Do you have any questions about what has happened or anything anyone has said?” “What worries you the most now?” and “What is the worst part, the hardest part for you now?” That can help children feel more able to talk to parents.Sources: National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children
HACKLEBURG, Ala. – Five months is a long time to a 4-year-old girl.
But when you’re 4 and you’ve just seen your grandfather’s house collapse around you while you sit huddled in the bathroom, your nearly 2-year-old brother in your grandfather’s arms and you in your mother’s, it’s not likely you’ll soon forget your fear of storms – no matter how old you are.
Today, Lane Steward, who survived in her grandfather’s bathroom in Hackleburg – the only room left standing after the April 27 tornado – talks excitedly about having teddy bear tea parties at the preschool she attends two days a week – after she gets over being shy, that is. And her 2-year-old brother, Landon, no longer clings to his mother, Amber Steward, day in and day out.
“I was surprised [he did that], because he was only 14 months old during the storm,” Steward said. “He wouldn’t let me put him down. But about a week after that, day by day, it got better.”