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Patrick graduated from Safety Town last week and learned lots of good stuff.
Safety sure has changed since I’ve been a kid. We had no car seats, heck no seat belts (or maybe we had seat belts but didn’t have to wear them?)…I remember bouncing around in the back seat with my sisters. I got to laughing one day when I thought of all the unsafe things we did. How many rabid raccoons and chipmunks and you name it, wobbling in the driveway in broad day light, did we take under our wing? Patrick had a whole session put on by the animal control officer. We would plummet down the hills on our bikes, pedaling to go faster, with our bare heads. We ice skated on creeks and ponds we tested ourselves…if we made it out to the middle it was deemed “safe”. We ate berries that I’m sure in large doses could be poisonous. When I look at the things my mom used for us as babies-little seats, swings-all of which I’m sure didn’t have five point harness systems-I wonder how we survived. I sure do remember talks on stranger danger at school-the most terrifyingly inappropriate film was shown to us little first graders, and it scared the beejibbers out of us. I don’t think I talked to strangers till my late 20’s and I can still see scenes of that film in my head. Don’t take candy from strangers, was really the lesson behind it all, or you might end up dead in a drainage pipe. Eeek!
Anyways-I loved Safety Town. I love their approach (gentle, no murder scenes involved). Patrick received a little certificate and a great deal of pride. What I really wish he would receive is a little stamp that would stay with him for life-sort of like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval-a lifetime guarantee that he will stay safe always-through the daring boy years, into the invincible teenage years, and then beyond. It would let my mother’s heart rest a little easier. Wouldn’t that be great?
Oh we miss Safety Town! What a big boy.
Saftey Town seems so cute! I don't think we have anything like that around here.
I had to laugh at your story…I was just telling my husband this week about when I was in Kindergarten and Officer Friendly came to talk to us about safety. He told us that cops often have a bad day so always wave at a cop to make his day nicer. I waved to a cop driving near my apt complex and he pulled over with an angry face!! I ran inside and hid and cried…he never came for me, lol, I don't know what he was there for, but I have never waved to a cop ever, ever again!!! π
Your story totally reminds me of the fire safety film they showed us. I remember vividly it showing these two boys putting a match in a gas tank and BLAM! I was traumatized for years. But it worked because I still don't play with matches. LOL
My husband and I always laugh at how dangerously we lived compared to our kids lives now! My husband is a police officer so safety has been drilled into our kids brains. But I wish we had a little safety school around here, what a great idea!
PS – send you an e-mail today, I hope you get the chance to read it! Thanks! π
I haven't been reading blogs lately, but happened to do so today. WHEN did Patrick grow up SO much???? Oh my goodness! He's a big boy now. That means my oldest (same age as Patrick) must be a big girl. Waaaaah!
Does your town have any brown people?
I was thinking the same thing as Lisa. When did Patrick stop being little!
These kids look so cute and what a good idea – although as you say I drove around with my kids slip sliding on the vinyl seats in the back of the car, no seat belts etc. no special car seats, everyone survived although I suppose there was less traffic on the road and people had mostly old cars. I do remember as a kid having the police come to school about "stranger danger" and about safely crossing the road, we had to learn a little song about Tufty the squirrel and went home with a hanky with Look right, Look left, Look right again, all clear quick march!printed on it. Innocent times.
I'm a lurker, and have been for awhile! But, there was just something about this post that made me want to comment. It was just cute! I love your style of writing, and your blog is such an inspiration to me! I figure if you can do it with 6 kids, I should be able to get by with 2 π
I volunteered for Safety Town many, many years ago… thanks for the flashback. It is a very nice program – and Patrick looks like he really enjoyed himself!