The Enid Blyton Society

Can anybody point me to a short story which I'm pretty certain is by Enid. In it a boy or girl is frightened of thunder because she/he has observed their mother being frightened and copied her. At one point I think they hide under the stairs.

I remember it because my Mother used to be terrified of wasps and so I was as well until I read this story and learned that it was silly to be scared of something just because your mother is. I still don't like wasps but I've overcome my Pavlovian reaction to them somewhat, purely as a result of this story.

You might be thinking of 'Because My Mother Does', Walter:

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However, I'm not certain that's the tale you remember because Enid Blyton often wrote several stories on the same theme - and this story involves several children who are in a classroom at school during a thunderstorm.

In The Children of Willow Farm, the girl Fanny who comes in daily to help is also terrified of thunderstorms because "my mother always used to hide under a bed when there was a storm." Sheila and Penny teach her that she has no reason to be afraid.

Wow, that was quick even for you Anita! I think it must be "Children Of Willow Farm" I'm remembering as I know I read that as a child (but haven't read it since - so many books, so little time!), whereas none of the short story collections "Because My Mother Does" appear in ring a bell. I could have sworn it was a short story though. Funny how your memory plays tricks on you isn't it?

I think the Happy House book also has a chapter where that happens. The three children, Jack, Jane & Benjy? live next door to Miss Plum, and her niece and nephew come to stay. They are horrible children, and then they see the error of their ways because Betty (I think) is scared of a thunderstorm and yet the other 3 children think it's great. Some of the chapters from that book are included in The Happy Hours Book. That's a book of short stories as well.

I was just thinking of that too, Katharine! The nephew and niece are Tommy and Betty.

However, you may be thinking of a story we haven't mentioned, Walter, as Enid Blyton frequently revisited themes.

Yes Enid was into recycling long before it became trendy!

I'm not sure now. I'm fairly certain I've read "Willow Farm" and if I have that must be where I remember it from. The only thing that gives me pause is the nagging conviction it was a short story I read. I suppose I'll just have to read "Children Of Willow Farm" to see if anything else jogs the old memory cells.

Anyway wherever I read it, I learned a useful and valuable lesson like i did with so much of Enid's work.