Little Gracie Jo likes it when it rains sometimes. She thinks it's really fun to sit on the couch with her mommy and daddy, and listen to the rain hit on the top of her house, because it sounds like when you tap your fingers on the table really fast, and it sounds really cool! Sometimes though, she really don't like when it rains outside! It usually gets super windy, it gets cold and chilly, and it gets really dark!
And sometimes there are even really bright lights in the sky. Her daddy told her it was called “Lights-nings.” And she doesn't like when the lights-nings comes, cause that means that the sky is gonna make those loud booming noises too. Her mommy told her that those noises were called “Thunders.” When the lights-nings and the thunders come, she gets really super scared, and all she wants to do is run away, jump into her bed, and hide under her blankies.
One time, when she was hiding under her blankies, waiting for the lights-nings and the thunders to go away, her daddy came into her room and snuck his head under the blankies with her. “Hey Strawberry Shortcake, what's the matter?” Her daddy asked her. She told him, “Daddy, I'm real scared! I don't like when there's all that noise outside when its raining! It makes me real scared! I like it better when it's just raining and there is no noises outside at all!”
“Well,” her daddy said, “There is nothing for you to be scared of. It's not loud and scary like that all the time, it's only like that sometimes.” “How come its only like that sometimes daddy?” “Well honey, its only loud like that on special occasions.”
“Now, let me ask you this little one. Do you know who makes it rain, who makes the sun shine, or even who makes the wind blow?” “There is a somebody that does all of that daddy?” “Of course there is honey! Those things don't just happen all by themselves.”
“Then daddy, if it doesn't happen by itself, who does all of it? Is it my mommy?” “Oh honey, it's not your mommy, but it is a different kind of mommy. Her name is Mother Nature. She tells the Earth when to have the sun and moon come up, when the wind should blow, and even when it should rain and snow.” “Oh. Ok. So, is it like a big, giant mommy? That's so cool!”
“But daddy, how come nature's mommy makes the lights-nings and the thunders? Someone should tell her that it's really super scary, and I can't hear it when it's raining on our house!”
“Well sweetheart, the reason she is making those loud noises and bright lights is because she is taking pictures of the weather, of her friends, and other really neat things. You know the little toy camera that you have? Well, she has her very own camera too.”
“Sometimes, when its really pretty outside, she sees one of her friends, or the weather outside is really cool looking, she takes pictures so she can remember it later. The loud 'Thunders' are her pushing the button on her camera to take the pictures, and the 'Lights-nings' is the light from her camera.”
“Oh...so nature's mommy is just taking some pictures just like I do with my cambra? Oh that's so cool!” “Exactly! So see sweetie, there is nothing to be afraid of! And if you want, we can hurry and get outside, and see if we can be in one of Mother Nature's pictures? Do you want too???”
“Sure daddy! I am gonna go get my mom and see if she wants to come too!” She flung the blankies off of her head, jumped out of her bed and raced to the other room to get her mommy.
The three of them made it outside just in time to hear the last thunderclap echo through the sky, and the clouds started to clear up, revealing the most amazing rainbow they had ever seen.
“Daddy, look at that rainbow! Do you think that nature's mommy got a picture of it?” “I'm not sure little one.” “Oh, well that's ok. Can I maybe go get my cambra and take a picture so I can show her next time she comes back?”
“Of course you can honey!” She started to run into the house, but stopped after a couple of steps. She turned around, ran back to her daddy, and gave him a great big hug. “Daddy, thanks for helping me to not be scared of the lights-nings and the thunders! You're the best daddy ever! I love you!” And with that, she ran inside to grab her camera.
