9-1-1

I haven't had the best of luck when it comes to staying perfectly healthy. So when I think about Jeff picking me up from the bathroom floor last year, it makes me shudder to think of the fact that it could've been 2 hours later & he could've been gone.

Which would've meant Flynn finding me on the floor, instead of Jeff.



Scary isn't it?



And the fact is that my kids are not allowed to play with the phone. The one time I left Flynn with full access, she dialed someone. It was the pastor's home, and the phone remained off the hook (possibly w/ them on the other line) ALL EVENING.

With us "going about our evening" with them possibly on the other line.

Mom & MIL, quit reading...

"About our evening"

Kids asleep.

Us "not asleep"

Us "not sleeping" in the living room.

Are you following me?

And if you ever have said, "no way, I want to die." It was after a moment like me realizing that the phone was off the hook & the last number dialed (pastor & boss) had heard any or all of what had went on that evening.

Mom & MIL, you can resume...

SO,

From that point on, the phone was off limits for the children. As a matter of fact, I (not always Jeff) make my best effort to keep the phone hung up, on the cradle, which is out of the reach of the children.



Convenient, but not always safe. So it had me thinking. What if I fell down the steps (which I've done before, not surprisingly) & was knocked unconscious. Or had a heart attack. Or just plain old die? Not only do I lay there unattended by emergency personnel, but even more scary is that my children are left to fend for themselves until Jeff gets home? -- possibly 12 hours (or so, dependent upon when this hypothetical emergency happens) later?

That's scary & sad.



So, today was the day I decided to teach Flynn 9-1-1.



It went something like this:



Mommy: Flynn, if there is ever a time where Mommy maybe doesn't wake up, or gets hurt or sick, & you can't get Mommy to answer you... there's something you'll need to do. Do you know what you should do if that happens?

Flynn: No-uh (spoken w/ major inflection)

Mommy: #1 you should find the phone. Where is it?
She knew right where it was, went to where it hangs & pointed to it.

Mommy: But it's too high...what would you do?

Flynn: I would get a chair.

Mommy: That's right, let's do that.

Mommy: Okay, now what?

Flynn: I don't know-uh. (again w/ the inflection)

Mommy: You will have to dial emergency. Press TALK. Press 9. Press 1. Press 1.

(I had turned the phone off before the dialing obviously)

Mommy: Then you say, "My name is Flynn and my mommy is hurt."

Then we talked about different things that are or aren't emergencies.

Then, being the odd-ball I am, I made her a paper phone, fashioned to look identical to ours. And we practiced.

Okay Flynn, here we go...

And I pretended to have some type of attack-arrest-faint. She stood there stunned. And stared, like she was scared & maybe thought it was real.

But not Gabe, he laughed & picked up his really heavy sandal & threw it at me. It hit my chest which delighted him. And I took that opportunity to tell Flynn it was time to call 911 on her pretend phone. Gabe took the opportunity to throw his other sandal, which this time hit me in the face. And so Flynn said that she dialed TALK 9 1 1. And she said, "I'm Flynn. My mom is sick."

Tomorrow I teach her how to sleep in.

I wish.