Letyra Lavan and her son Alex have been through a lot in the past year and a half. A pandemic, two hurricanes, ice storm, and a home still in disrepair.
"We've got our roof done, we've had our AC unit replaced, but the damages are still here," Letyra said. "We are living in a house with half electricity, even as we speak, we have lamps plugged up around us. I want everything to be back to normal."
Today, Letyra has a new worry. It's the start of hurricane season, and with so much left to do, she said she doesn't feel prepared.
"To be honest, we are still not recovered from last year's hurricanes. This is something that is ongoing. We are just ready to go when it is time to go."
Those worries, she does not let them rub off on Alex. She and her husband have a plan in place, and they do their best to keep an upbeat attitude through it all.
"Wherever we are in the midst of trouble God is with us," Letyra said. "We hold onto that faith, too. We still have to prepare naturally and have those things with us, extra change, money, and cash, that's for us to worry about not Alex.. We keep him grounded and calm, it's like a normal day. All he has to do is worry about going to a hotel or something."
Alex shows that same positive attitude. He said, no matter what happens, he has his faith and sometimes that is all you need.
"If you pray to God and he'll provide for you," Alex said.
We reached out to Mary Collins with Family Tree here in Lafayette. She said that Letyra is taking the right approach by talking to Alex, at his level, and not letting her worries rub off on him.
"If you know, as an adult, that you get anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, scared, that is perfectly normal, but you need to deal with those feelings," Collins said. "Whether that means you call a friend, talk to someone, or call a counselor to talk about your feelings. Your children, they will mimic what you're doing. If you start to escalate and freak out, I guarantee the rest of the house will do it too."
She said, as a parent, we may find it hard to get down to our kid's level.
Collins suggested heading online. She said there is literature available to help guide you in the right direction.
"You can find Youtube videos, you can check out library books that you can read to them about what a hurricane is and how it works," Collins said. "It's age appropriate, little books, so they think they're just hearing a story, but they are getting that message."
For Letyra and Alex, they will do what they do every year and prepare as much as they can--holding onto their faith.
For more information on how to talk to your kids you can visits Family Tree at: