BE SAFE, NOT SORRY

We belong to a generation where in most households both parents work and children are encouraged to become independent at a very early age. Right from answering the telephone, taking messages, learning the emergency contact numbers by rote, to using the gadgets in the kitchen, this modern generation is quick to learn through observation and practice.

Often children return from school to empty homes as their parents are away at work. Independently go about their chores for the evening from preparing food and feeding themselves and sometimes their younger siblings too. All very commendable and definitely something to be encouraged.

However, I am of the opinion our responsibility as parents does not end there, in fact it has only just begun! The fact that our children are returning to empty homes their safety and security fall entirely on our shoulders. Besides teaching them to be independent we also must teach them to recognize an emergency and react to it in an appropriate manner.

We are now living in a gadget controlled, digital world. The entry and exit into and from our homes, offices, cars are all controlled by the click of a button. Ever envisaged a situation where the systems fail and you are locked in. How do you escape the confines of your house? Or that of your car? Lesson number one, invest in a set of tools that includes a hammer, flashlight, a screw driver set, pliers for sure. Do not forget to inform the family where you have stored it for easy access. Make sure it is reachable to the kids and never locked. A similar set stored in the car makes perfect safety sense too. A vehicular breakdown on an isolated, dark road will definitely have you reach for the flashlight in your emergency kit. Its important you make your presence known to the oncoming vehicular traffic.

When man could not do something with his bare hands, he created a tool for it. The power of the hand tool must never be underestimated. The hand tools do not need power from any motor and therefore are best used in emergencies of lockdowns or blackouts. The Hammer has often been responsible for in the timely escape from locked cars.

You will never feel helpless or drown in despair if you have prepared yourself to face an emergency. You will automatically deal with it in a  decisive and definite manner. It is imperative that you have such hand tools at your disposal and teach your children the correct use of each piece. However, the most important tool in dealing with any emergency is the tool of CALMNESS. Do not panic, use your intelligence and common sense to escape the situation. If you teach that to your children you have truly fulfilled your responsibility.