Just In Case

This news story caught my eye-- you can watch the news report here or here. Basically, little T.J.'s mom had told him that if he ever saw her fall down and not get up, or found her not talking or moving, that he should dial 911, and ask the firemen to come help. She must have worked with him on good manners, too, because as you listen to the 911 dispach recording, he is very polite and well-mannered. Her training paid off, in this case literally saving her life. She was making lunch for her son when she had a seizure, fell out of her chair onto the floor, and lay there. TJ quickly called for help, answering the dispacher's questions clearly and repeatedly asking "Could you please come right over here?" My favorite line is "Mommy say if her's laying on the floor, dial 9-9-1." Thankfully, he at least DIALED correctly...

I just found a similar story here. Again, a four year old saved his mother's life by calling 911.

The reason I wanted to pass this on via blog is to encourage all you parents or caregivers out there to teach your children how & when to dial 911, as soon as they are able. Of course you'd have to impress upon them the EMERGENCY-ONLY need, and threaten severe consequenses for playing around dialing 911, I'd think. I especially wanted to highlight this skill for you at-home moms who are often at home alone with children for most of the day.

We all know to teach children not to talk to strangers or go with them... but this is one easy to overlook. Sort of like pool safety-- the #1 skill to teach small children (besides swimming-- even before that) is how to climb OUT of a pool. Kids can often get to the edge of a pool, but don't figure out on their own how to go along the edge to a ladder or steps where they can climb out. Life-saving tip I learned from my uncle there.