Stranger Danger Warning and the Repercussions of Letting Your Bored, Mischievous Five-Year-Old Know About 911

Along with a divorce comes the sale of what a husband and wife once called "home."  "T" and I lived in a nice home in the suburbs of Dallas, complete with a corner lot and dive-friendly swimming pool.


The swimming pool was a "luxury" item I tacked on to our home search while shopping for our family's nest.  Mind you, I was seven months pregnant with my first child, and oddly enough didn't take into consideration all the dangers a swimming pool held for a stay-at-home-mom and her baby/toddler...The Optimistic vs. Realistic Conundrum I would soon face on a daily basis...


Getting back to my main point...We now rent a "home"...and Dallas-suburban it is not.  It lies on a street that begins out above-middle class and ends up ghetto-fabulous by the end of the block. Suffice it to say, there are many men I find "sketchy" roaming our street - both during the day and evening hours.

Fortunately, we have a dog who barks his balls head off anytime the hint of a footstep is heard by his superieor canine hearing.  Of course, at 2:00 a.m. his barking will awaken me, and I will forgo sleeping and lay with my cell phone, ready to dial 911 if I hear a doorknob rattle.  This lack of sleep tends to make me quite the charmer the following day. 
 
As my five-year-old blossoms into a young lady, I want her to be in the "loop" of what to do if a stranger approaches her-whether she is at home, school or any location in the continental United States.

We had a family member abducted last year, getting off a school bus in a very affluent neighborhood.  She is a sharp little cookie, but at the innocent age of six believed the man in the car when he said "her mommy asked him to pick her up"...An Amber alert was issued and fortunately the man had dropped her off in a parking lot, but not before inflicting damage. 


I remember staying up the entire night in shock, crying and praying for not only my young cousin, but especially her parents.  To imagine your child violated in any way is something I can't begin to fathom.  Sara was four at the time, and as "street smart" as she appeared, I couldn't bring myself to "discuss" what lay beyond her innocent little world.


I decided to give the "911" talk last month as my purse was literally stolen out of my car (the bad juju) in addition to my dad's truck being stolen in broad daylight.  These are the acts of people with little remorse and who feel above the law.  Not an ideal demographic.

So I sat my sweet, first-born daughter down to talk about how "there are some individuals who aren't very nice.  They could look nice-"

"But they could look sketchy too, huh Mama?" she asked - as if she were already "schooled" on the subject.

Aside from regaining my posture as quickly as possible while suppressing a laugh (Couldn't be helped.  To hear her say "sketchy" threw me for a loop).  She seemed so...adult-like, all of a sudden...My baby is becoming a big girl.  Both bittersweet and touching was this conversation of ours. 

I agreed with her about appearances, but also carefully skipped around labeling someone because of their looks.  For all anyone knows, a "bad man" could like like Mr. Rogers and still be a person with bad intentions.  "Who's Mr. Rogers?" she asked me.  Oy veh...

Anywho, I explained dialing "911" was for emergencies ONLY!!  If she found herself in the trunk of a car and happened to see a cell phone, grab it and dial 911! 

She liked this exchange of worse-case scenarios and began throwing out other scenarios where "911" might need to be called.  "When Josephine finally goes number #2 on the big girl potty?"  Not exactly...

I decided to let that knowledge rest in her head, hoping she would never have to utilize it.  

Well, she utilized it all right.  Three times in a row, no less.

I typically find places to hide my cell phone, as Sara is extremely chatty and loves to dial random numbers and talk.  Before you silently accuse me of being a hands-off mommy, keep in mind I have a two-year-old who likes to "get into things" and between keeping a diligient eye on both girls, somethings go under the radar.

Like the ONE time I take a shower by myself (I kid you not, I can't take my eyes off of them for a minute.  It is non-stop.  24/7),  believing both girls to be watching a movie on mommy's bed.  It wasn't a luxurious shower by any means.  Straight nozzle action and to the point.  Out in five minutes.

I walk into my bedroom and the bed was missing a child.  Shocker.  I hear my phone ringing and run through the house, intent on finding Sara - and all-knowing she had found my phone.

She was under the dining room table (I had placed the cell in the dining room centerpiece...) I saw her arm extended with my phone in her hand "It's for you Mama," was all she said.

"Mam, this is 911 - is there any emergency you are experiencing right now?"  Damn Darn it.

I explained to the very patient - and kind - emergency operater that I had "the talk" with my daughter the night before.  She knowingly laughed, and said that Sara had called three times to say "hello" and "talk" within a seven minute period.  She said it happens all the time, and I might want to "hide my cell phone" in the future.

Put a fork in me....