HomeFull Moons and Safety Glass
Full Moons and Safety Glass
Balancing money, time, self, and family
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Scooby Doo and 9-1-1
This week on NPR I heard a story about a woman who wrote a book about surviving natural disasters, accidents, terrorist attacks, plane crashes, and other life threatening situations. I found out all kinds of disturbing things like I shouldn’t be wearing nylon or other man-made fabrics on a plane. If the plane crashes, the nylon will melt onto skin.
Yikes. I had no idea I would need to use the tips she mentioned so soon. No, I wasn’t in an earthquake. My car didn’t tumble over the Bay Bridge. There was no grease fire in my garage. Nope…what happened was far more terrifying…this week, Ava had her four-year-old check up. Not scary you say? HA! I was terrified. Here’s why… The doctor completed her exam of Ava and then began asking me questions: Do you have guns in the house? Between ages four and ten are when most accidental gun deaths occur in children. Have you locked up all of your liquor? Does Ava know her address and phone number? She’ll need to know that when she gets lost. Can Ava call 911? She needs to know that when the house catches on fire. Does Ava know all about pedophiles and “bad” touching? Does Ava know not to go anywhere with a stranger? She needs to know how to yell and ask for help when To Catch a Predator creepy guy comes a-calling. Do you have your answer prepared when Ava asks where babies come from? So, unbeknownst to me, my sweet little daughter became a gun-toting, drunk, violated, accident-prone, sex-obsessed freak on her fourth birthday. Now, I’m all for communicating with your kids, encouraging them to be safe, and bracing them for the Big Bad World. But if I was faced with all of this, even as an adult…it would scare the crap out of me. Maybe I’m just freaked out and naive. I had no idea that all things scary were going to sneak up on her (and me) so early into her childhood. I started to wonder what it was about age four where all of this suddenly became a reality. I’m sure it has to do with a four-year-old’s ability to communicate, reason, and other cognitive developments. I’m sure practicing all of these skills and drills will make her more prepared in the case of an emergency (at least that’s what the lady who wrote the disaster book said). So I thought about it and tried to think about a way to bring some of this up with her. I decided to ask Ava what scared her and see if I could tie in any of the giant list of warnings from the doctor. Here’s how the conversation went: Me: Ava, are there things that scare you or make you feel frightened? Ava: Yes. I am scared of lots of things. The sea monster on Scooby Doo is scary. Tiny monsters are OK, but big monsters are scary. Me: Anything else, honey. Ava: Oh, yeah, Mommy. The graveyard of wrecked ships from Scooby Doo. It also really scares me when Daphne gets captured. Daphne is always getting captured. Scooby and Shaggy are always hungry. They like sandwiches. I guess I’ll need to try another tactic. Or at least turn off the Scooby Doo. (BTW...she's totally right about Daphne always being captured. I never realized it until she said something.) 7 comments from 7 users
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posted by
lmkoster99
on Jul 30, 2008 at 08:57 PM
I love your blogs!! It is funny to hear how a 4 yr. old really sees the world!! I was LMAO!! I wouldn't know what to say if my ped. asked those questions...........those things are important but, my gosh, let her be a kid & afraid of the Scooby Doo characters!! :) Things sure have changed since we were that age!!
posted by
MiaMama
on Jul 30, 2008 at 10:02 PM
That Scooby conversation was funny! But, that doctor's appointment sounded scary! That's a lot of information to throw at you all at once. Poor Daphne. posted by
munchkinsmom
on Jul 31, 2008 at 06:34 AM
Too funny! And you're right about Daphne...why does no one kidnap Velma?!
posted by
kellimwheeler
on Jul 31, 2008 at 11:15 AM
I think I'm still having nightmares about Scooby-Doo. To this day I have an irrational fear of abominable snowmen.
posted by
hmoeckli
on Jul 31, 2008 at 03:02 PM
Okay, I totally get the questions about guns and liquor, but can a four-year old be expected to remember her address? I haven't spent much time around four-year olds, so I may be ignorant on this, but that seems young to me. Yikes is right.
posted by
wifemotherdaughtersister
on Aug 1, 2008 at 06:58 AM
now thats a 4 year old that knows how to party!!
posted by
creatress
on Aug 1, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Monsters never kidnap the girl with glasses. Lesson? Glasses make you safe. Hahaha. What a great blog. Yes, the world is scary, and so is your PCP. Sounds like you were hit by a firing squad!!! Ah well, at least they obviously care about kids!
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