Dinnertime Discussions: Do Your Kids Know When to Make the Call?

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Yesterday was a lively one in the Foster household.  I had the third straight day of a migraine intersect with low blood pressure.  The migraine was bad enough I didn’t realize how low my blood pressure was from not eating enough food and taking in enough salt and fluid.  I didn’t realize I was dehydrated.

I passed out when I attempted to stand up too quickly.

My kids know their first and last names, home address, our home phone and the full names of my husband and I.  They know where Daddy works.  They know their Daddy and Grandma’s cell phone numbers.  They also know the full names, addresses and phone numbers of all of our immediate family and how to reach other trusted adults.

But they didn’t know when to pick up the phone to get help.

What did they do?  They went and got a sheet from off the bed and covered me up, then went about their business.  They finished their chores and then started their schoolwork, sitting just a couple of feet from me.  When I came to and started gagging, my son slid the garbage can over beside me and went back to what he was doing.  Later, my daughter told me she thought I was ok because I was breathing.  I had to get her attention and tell her to call for help.

Your emergency preparedness plans don’t help your family if your kids don’t know when to call another adult or 911 for help.

When you sit down to dinner tonight, quiz your kids.  Make sure they know:

• Their full legal name, address and phone number.
• Your full legal name and cell phone numbers.
• Where every adult in the family works.
• The name, address and phone number of an immediate family member who doesn’t live with you.
• The name, address and phone number of a trusted adult should family not live nearby.
• When to call a trusted adult or go get a neighbor.
• When and how to call 911 or your local emergency service.
• What to tell the 911 operator.
• How to unlock and open the front door, the driveway gate or whatever else is needed when help arrives.
• Where to find a list of health conditions, medications and other necessary information for each member of the household should 911 need to be called.
• What to tell emergency personnel about the adult’s health when they arrive.  Do your children know the medial names of any conditions the adults in the house have been diagnosed with?
• Where any prescription medication in the house stays, in case emergency personnel needs access to it.

I’m thankful we caught this issue before anything serious happens.  We will make role playing for a variety of situations a regular part of our dinnertime discussions from now on.

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