4 Year Old with Sudden Fear of Thunder Storms

My 4 year old freaks about storms too. She thinks anytime there is a storm the power will go out. I agree with the post below. Grandma and grandpa probably didn't DO/SAY anything to make him scared, perhaps they went into the basement (this is a good thing) but the storm would have scared him. It is very common at this age and he is at an age where he will pick up on things, including the way people are acting. Just be supportive and let him know that when you need to go in the basement you will and that mom and dad will keep him safe.
Good luck.

How fast to you want him to overcome it? The traditional method is conditioning, which can take up to 4 weeks of dedicated effort. Another method is EFT http://www.emofree.com/ which can work instantly. After you learn EFT and do it for your son, you will need to be very calm and *happy* during storms in the coming weeks to not reinitiate the issue.

...I happen to love thunderstorms... and I believe I'm teaching my children the same. I purposely make a HUGE deal out of storms when the happen. We 'oooh' and 'aaaah' over the big lightening and thunders. I even take them into the garage with the door open (when the storm is 'a safe one', obviously) and we set up lawn chairs and watch the show. If it's too much of a storm to sit in the garage, we'll gather by the window (open window if possible) and gather under a blanket... I like the idea of 'special activities' during storms, too... Maybe make cookies everytime it rains?!?
Good luck. Those little brains are sometimes hard to bend once they've got themselves set on something! I'm sure you can change his mind.

This is a common age for fears to take over reason. Maybe your parents didn't do anything more than go to the basement, but your son could have seen the storm through a big window or the house may have rattled more than yours does. At any rate, 4 year old tend to develop irrational fears for some reason. If you respond calmly and maybe even have a "rainy day" activity that your son gets to do only when it rains, he will soon see that there is nothing to fear.