Yesterday, I decided it would be a good idea to make sure that Lana knew how to dial 911 if need be. Sonya has known how to do this for years and because she knows, I figured we were good. Then I realized, she's not always around since she's in school all day. It might only be Lana or Georgia if I misstep down the attic stairs while getting out Halloween or Christmas decorations. What if I lay unconscious at the bottom of the ladder and the girls have no idea what to do! These are the crazy, anxiety ridden thoughts that cross my mind on a daily basis. I'm fairly certain I come by this naturally. Thanks mom! So to calm my fears, I figured they should know what to do in case of an emergency. I decided to start with Lana. Partially because she's older and partially because Georgia still gets our address number and phone number mixed up. No need to throw another number at her just yet.
I explained that I was going to show her how to dial 911 on the phone. I emphasized that this is ONLY for an emergency. You know like if mommy was laying with blood pouring out of her head. Okay I didn't say that, but I said if something happened to me and I couldn't move or talk. I showed her how to turn the phone on, listen for the dial tone and then dial. Then I told her someone would come on the phone and talk to her, and she should tell them what the emergency was. She seemed to understand, and I had her show me which numbers she should push and how to turn it on by pressing the "talk" button. Suddenly she got a concerned look on her face and said,
"But mommy? Then I will be talking to a stranger!"
Okay, so that's one lesson that she got through her head! My scare tactics ARE working!
"That's true," I said, "But this is a stranger YOU are calling and it's to get help. You can only talk to the people on 911, and then they send someone to help..."
"Like the firemen or the policemen!" She said interrupting me. I have no idea how she figured out that they would be the ones to show up.
"Yes! Exactly and they are good strangers too because they are there to help."
Then she thought about this for a second and said, "Yeah, but it will most likely be a fireman that comes, because firemen help people and the policemen just put you in jail."
"Well," I said, trying desperately not to laugh. "The police can put people in jail, but they can help people too just like a fireman, so you don't need to be worried about them. Okay?"
"Okay!" she said. Then she ran off to play babies with her sister, with another piece of knowledge embedded in her brain.
Hmmm...should I be concerned that she already thinks that all the police do is put people in jail?
I explained that I was going to show her how to dial 911 on the phone. I emphasized that this is ONLY for an emergency. You know like if mommy was laying with blood pouring out of her head. Okay I didn't say that, but I said if something happened to me and I couldn't move or talk. I showed her how to turn the phone on, listen for the dial tone and then dial. Then I told her someone would come on the phone and talk to her, and she should tell them what the emergency was. She seemed to understand, and I had her show me which numbers she should push and how to turn it on by pressing the "talk" button. Suddenly she got a concerned look on her face and said,
"But mommy? Then I will be talking to a stranger!"
Okay, so that's one lesson that she got through her head! My scare tactics ARE working!
"That's true," I said, "But this is a stranger YOU are calling and it's to get help. You can only talk to the people on 911, and then they send someone to help..."
"Like the firemen or the policemen!" She said interrupting me. I have no idea how she figured out that they would be the ones to show up.
"Yes! Exactly and they are good strangers too because they are there to help."
Then she thought about this for a second and said, "Yeah, but it will most likely be a fireman that comes, because firemen help people and the policemen just put you in jail."
"Well," I said, trying desperately not to laugh. "The police can put people in jail, but they can help people too just like a fireman, so you don't need to be worried about them. Okay?"
"Okay!" she said. Then she ran off to play babies with her sister, with another piece of knowledge embedded in her brain.
Hmmm...should I be concerned that she already thinks that all the police do is put people in jail?
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