Last night, my kids and I joined my mom, my sister and her kids for a sleepover. The kids were all sound asleep and we were getting ready to join them when the temblor struck. It last for all of thirty seconds, but anyone who has ever experienced the shaking of the earth under his or her feet will probably agree that 30 seconds of shaking is 30 seconds too long. (That reminds me that I must share my real earthquake story with you someday!)
Fortunately, the adrenaline rush didn't keep me awake for long and I am glad I wasn't alone at home with the kids when it happened. The other day Eva made mention of the tragic earthquake in China and she innocently asserted, "But we don't have to worry about that here in Chile!" I hated to burst her little bubble, especially as she can be prone to obsessively worrying about things sometimes. I don't remember exactly what I said, but she hasn't brought the subject up since.
Which brings me to this question: What is the balance between preparing your children for possible dangers/disasters, and scaring them silly? In the States, it's easy - just tell them to dial 911 and hopefully the operator will take over from there. (Actually, I know that is kind of simplistic but you get the idea.) Here, I know for a fact that dialing 133 will get you nowhere even though it is supposed to connect you to the police in an emergency. (I found that out the hard way when a rock nearly smashed through the window of my niece's bedroom just seconds after I had lowered her from the changing table which sits directly in front of that window. I called 133 to report the incident only to have it ring and ring and ring without anyone answering!)
So, what are your thoughts??
Fortunately, the adrenaline rush didn't keep me awake for long and I am glad I wasn't alone at home with the kids when it happened. The other day Eva made mention of the tragic earthquake in China and she innocently asserted, "But we don't have to worry about that here in Chile!" I hated to burst her little bubble, especially as she can be prone to obsessively worrying about things sometimes. I don't remember exactly what I said, but she hasn't brought the subject up since.
Which brings me to this question: What is the balance between preparing your children for possible dangers/disasters, and scaring them silly? In the States, it's easy - just tell them to dial 911 and hopefully the operator will take over from there. (Actually, I know that is kind of simplistic but you get the idea.) Here, I know for a fact that dialing 133 will get you nowhere even though it is supposed to connect you to the police in an emergency. (I found that out the hard way when a rock nearly smashed through the window of my niece's bedroom just seconds after I had lowered her from the changing table which sits directly in front of that window. I called 133 to report the incident only to have it ring and ring and ring without anyone answering!)
So, what are your thoughts??
1 comment:
Practice drills are fun - and they seem to calm anxious hearts (a little bit) if they ahve an idea of what to do in case of an ememrgency. Having a plan may not always work but don't tell them that part=)
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