Ask my daughters what firefighters do, they’ll say they put fires out. They’ll explain police catch the bad guys.
Until two months ago, their only contact with police and firefighters was at local community events and birthday parties. They would meekly say “hi” and climb aboard a fire engine. Sometimes, they left with plastic red fire helmets or police badges. I never suspected that one of my daughter’s feared them.
“Mommy, They Didn’t Take Me to Jail”
Bomb threats at my daughters’ preschool aren’t so rare. There have been four in the last two months. Talk about the threats are part of our conversations about how their day went on those days. I never know what to expect. But I didn’t expect to see the shock on her face as she told me that police didn’t arrest her following the last threat.
What?! Why would police arrest my four-year-old whose most serious “crime” was attempting to remove
money from the church collection plate when she was 18-months? She said she did nothing wrong but police came to her class and they didn’t take anyone to jail. “Mommy, they always take people to jail.”
Where did she get that idea from? We’ve never had a remotely negative encounter with police…. at least not one in real life. Apparently, she’d watched a few episodes of The Andy Griffith Show with her grandmother during which Barney took a few people to jail.
“Hi” to Police at School
I don’t want my daughters to respect and trust police, firefighters or any other law enforcement, not fear them. I tried introducing her to some police officers at her school. Both she and her sister just hid or ran.
Dinner with Firefighters
Some mothers were taking food to local police and fire stations to thank them for keeping our children and our community safe. I volunteered and took the girls to a fire station.
They helped plan what we were going to bring. They wanted to feed the firefighters cotton candy, chocolate, popsicles and apple juice. After careful negotiations, we decided on a hearty but healthier dinner. They also drew pictures for each firefighter.
The two timid little girls who typically ran clung to my heels when we entered. But after a few introductions, high fives and a thorough tour of the fire engine, they were smiling. In no time, they were laughing, playing and rushing to hand out the food. They left gushing about their new friends and their new adventures at the fire station.
New Attitudes, New Friends
Dinner was intended to simply be a thank you for their sacrifice, their work and their commitment to the community. But it became about so much more. Giggles and smiles are so precious these days. Thanks to the firefighters, my daughters were safe. They were making new, positive memories and forming relationships with the firefighters. To these men, I’m truly indebted to them. So, take a moment to thank a police officer, firefighter or any service man or woman for being a blessing in our lives.
