I volunteered at James school today and it was an excellent experience. Although, I was initially concerned it would eat into my study time, ultimately I was very happy I took the time to be there.
Watching James' good behavior with his class was reassuring, spending time with his classmates was refreshing and observing his teacher engage with her class was worth every minute of my study time.
During my short time volunteering there was a drill. Not a fire drill but a "code blue." There are code reds and greens and yellows. But, I participated in a "code blue." No alarms, just an announcement over the PA. The kids lined up, they did as they were told and were praised by their principal, when it was completed, for a job well down.
Watching James' good behavior with his class was reassuring, spending time with his classmates was refreshing and observing his teacher engage with her class was worth every minute of my study time.
During my short time volunteering there was a drill. Not a fire drill but a "code blue." There are code reds and greens and yellows. But, I participated in a "code blue." No alarms, just an announcement over the PA. The kids lined up, they did as they were told and were praised by their principal, when it was completed, for a job well down.
When the children asked if it was a fire drill, the teacher reassured the kids, that it was not a fire drill, but instead there was something 'dangerous' in the building. Our children were being trained to evacuate the building in case of a bomb threat. Yes, A BOMB THREAT!
Times have seriously changed. Although, school aged children use to be trained to hide under their desks in case of an attack; maybe it's not about times changing for the better or for the worse, maybe times have simply evolved into something different.
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| Cuban Missile Crisis - October 15th 1962 |
When I attended grade school I felt a sense of security. I can still recall Ronald Reagan speaking on the television, interrupting my favorite sitcom. President Reagan was an extension of my father, an older man, speaking with confidence, saying words I did not understand, like "Cold War". I always felt my world was protected and I felt safe, because President Reagan was in control, he was in charge of whatever that "Cold War" was.
John's childhood was on the opposite spectrum. He has shared with me, when he was young, there was always a cloud of concern and fear that Russia would drop a nuclear bomb on America. He remembers living in a time of fear. How have his childhood perceptions and my own impacted our adult lives?
Standing outside on the field with James' kindergarten class, and all the other children from his school, I could not help but feel exposed. Exposed with the knowledge, that I brought my children into an unstable world, a place where we simply do not know who we can and can't trust. Our enemies live among us, we are unable to hide.
My only defense is to ask my oldest if he feels safe when I tuck him in at night. I create a little bubble of safety and protection for the boys as reassurance. We tell one another we love each other many times throughout the day. We check in and are protective of one another. I remind the boys to act with love and care when they start acting out towards one another. It works, this works, I see it in their behavior, they care and they will trust and rely on one another as they grow older. They will extend the bubble to their own family one day.
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| President Ronald Reagan, made my childhood safe |
John's childhood was on the opposite spectrum. He has shared with me, when he was young, there was always a cloud of concern and fear that Russia would drop a nuclear bomb on America. He remembers living in a time of fear. How have his childhood perceptions and my own impacted our adult lives?
Standing outside on the field with James' kindergarten class, and all the other children from his school, I could not help but feel exposed. Exposed with the knowledge, that I brought my children into an unstable world, a place where we simply do not know who we can and can't trust. Our enemies live among us, we are unable to hide.
My only defense is to ask my oldest if he feels safe when I tuck him in at night. I create a little bubble of safety and protection for the boys as reassurance. We tell one another we love each other many times throughout the day. We check in and are protective of one another. I remind the boys to act with love and care when they start acting out towards one another. It works, this works, I see it in their behavior, they care and they will trust and rely on one another as they grow older. They will extend the bubble to their own family one day.
I won't be able to protect my boys forever and I understand they will experience fear, mean kids, and difficult moments in their tender years, but empowering them to take care of themselves and the ones they love is all I can guarantee in a world filled with so much uncertainty.
Today it is bomb threats, what will our children's children need protection from in twenty, thirty and forty years from now?
Today it is bomb threats, what will our children's children need protection from in twenty, thirty and forty years from now?
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