I love that Lexi knows how to dial 911.  It’s important that our children know what to do in an emergency. We taught her what to do if there is ever a house fire at any time of the day. Get low to the grown and find your way outside, head to the neighbor’s house and call 911. Don’t wait for us to get out. Just go.

“Well, what if there’s just smoke but no fire?  Do I still go?”

“What if I don’t have any shoes on and the ground is really wet outside. Do I run through the mud to get to the neighbors” house?”

“What if the neighbor isn’t home? Do I go to another neighbor’s house even if they’re strangers?”

“What if it’s just the roof on fire? Do we still need to get low to the ground?”

I need to change careers and become a firefighter. I don’t remember asking this many questions when I learned about fire safety in school. I learned to (1) Stop, drop and roll, (2) get out the burning building, and (3) call 911. Easy, right?

I love the questions.  I really do.  In the midst of the barrage of questions, I feel kinda crazy and want to ask her to stop already, but I won’t because I don’t want to stifle her creative thinking. But my goodness! The girl wears me out.

So she has all of these questions when it comes to calling 911 in a house fire, but she told us unequivocally yesterday that if we ever left her home alone, even for a short time, she’d call 911 and we’d be arrested. I work in child welfare, and I don’t want you to report me, but I did continue down this conversation because I wanted to know why she was so adamant in this situation when she so often responds with “It depends.” Why would you have us arrested.

“Because it’s wrong to leave your children by themselves. Ever. They might hurt themselves or burn themselves. I’ll call 911 and they’ll lock you up.”Do you want that to happen? “No, so don’t ever leave me home by myself.” As she finishes her ice cream…

I know Lexi, and she would absolutely call 911 if my husband and I ever tried to leave her with the dog. I also know that she could fend for herself and that no harm would likely come to her, but I love that she sees this as a non-negotiable and would follow through on having us reprimanded if not jailed. Even at age five, she has her convictions and that will serve her well as she gets older.  If you don’t know what you’re willing to stand for, then other’s thoughts and opinions will matter too much and you’ll change your own opinions out of conformity or a desire to be liked.

She’s a smart cookie. Even if she is willing to have me thrown in the slammer.

I also know what can happen when curious children are left unattended. I set our living room on fire when I was three. I kept on asking how long it would take to burn, what it would look like, etc…When no one answered me, I took the first opportunity to experiment. I should have called 911 on myself!

Would your kids call 911 on you if you left them home alone?