Fern Michonski / Fern’s Music
Pre-School Music Education Expert: The Children’s Advocate for Love and Kindness, Inspiring Creativity and Joy.
September 19, 2012—The Lights Went Out! 
Last night, here in New England and along the entire East Coast, strong storms and winds came passing through. All day long the meteorologists warned everyone that wild weather was on the way, making certain we were aware that trees could come down, flooding might occur and electricity may be lost.
Sure enough! About 9:30 p.m., out went the lights. There I sat in the dark when I suddenly had a flashback to when my children were little. A similar scenario had taken place. A thunderstorm came rolling through, full of loud crashing sounds, flashing lightening and a sudden loss of power. My three children became very worried. Now what?
I didn’t want them to develop a fear of thunderstorms or a fear of the dark. On the spur of the moment I had everyone pick up their dinner plates off of the kitchen table. Then I grabbed a big blanket off the couch and draped it over the table. The entire family crawled under the blanket and table and onto the floor. I turned on our flashlights and we had a picnic! The kids absolutely loved it. Every time another clap of thunder rattled the house we would clap and laugh. It was a fabulous time—one I will never forget and neither will my children.
After that event, even when the lights were working just fine and no storms were anywhere in sight, my kids would occasionally ask to have another “picnic” under the kitchen table with a blanket thrown over the top. What a beautiful, happy memory. No fear. That storm could not destroy our family joy on the kitchen floor, under the table, on that summer night all those years ago.
That’s what I thought of last night as I sat on the couch in the dark. It put a smile on my face all these years later—and then I went to bed.