My children live in absolute fear of smoke detectors. A few months ago, I was woken up by pounding on my bedroom door and yells and screams from Avery, Tucker and Piper. I could hear Milo wailing from his crib.
"MOM! MOM! Hurry! There's a fire! MOM, WAKE UP!" Avery screamed, pounding my door down.
I sprang out of bed and whipped open my bedroom door. I've never seen such fear on their little faces.
"WHERE IS IT?" I asked, my heart pounding, as I ran towards the stairs to get Milo.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Avery yelled in complete hysterics, holding onto Tucker and Piper, who were both bawling. "The fire alarm said there was a fire!"
I ran upstairs and downstairs and found nothing. There was no smell of smoke and none of the smoke alarms were even going off.
I walked back into the living room, the three of them huddled together.
"What do you mean, the fire alarm said there was a fire?" I asked.
"Well, Tucker pushed the button on it and the lady inside it said, 'Fire, fire, go outside.'" Avery explained, her voice shaking.
Well, that explains it. We are finishing up remodeling the upstairs and while Chet was painting he took down the smoke detector from the wall and put it on the ledge, within reach of the kids. (And that poor lady that has to sit inside the smoke detector all day must have no life.)
I calmed them all down and we had a little chat about what smoke detectors do and how they are our friends and what to do in case there was a real fire. I even showed them that we live on the same block as the fire station and it wouldn't take them very long to come over if there was a fire.
This afternoon, I sent the kids upstairs to play so I could fold my laundry in peace. Milo likes to dive on top of the piles and throw clothes up in the air or into the kitchen sink. It's just easier when they play upstairs because he goes where they go.
But they kept coming back downstairs and were showing signs that they weren't all that interested in playing upstairs.
"Why do you keep coming down?" I asked.
"Well, there's that thing up there that keeps beeping." Tucker said, looking around nervously.
"The smoke detector?" I asked.
"Yeah." he said. "You should come fix it."
"Can you just bring it to me?" I asked. "I'll change the batteries."
He stared at me and started to hesitate.
"But, I, um, well, can't you just come get it?" he asked.
"When I'm done with the laundry, I will." I said. "Can't you just bring it to me?"
"Can I pick it up with a wet one?" he asked. That's how they pick up bugs, after all, so you don't have to touch them with your bare hands.
"Sure." I said, trying not to laugh.
He went upstairs, then quickly came back down.
"I can't get it, Mom. It's too heavy."
I'm sure it was, weighing in at about 12 ounces.
A few minutes later, I heard him say to himself, "Oh, I'll just put it in a blanket."
But that failed too. It was still too heavy.
He went back upstairs, determined to face his fear of carrying down a dying smoke detector. I sneakily followed, wanting to see what he was going to try next. It beeped again as I climbed the stairs and when I got into their room, I saw him huddled in his blanket.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"I'm freezing." he said, with complete fear in his eyes. "When it beeps, I get freezing."
Makes sense.
"Why can't you carry it down for me?" I asked him.
"Because I'm a kid." he said. "Avery will do it when she gets home. Or you could do it."
"What if it beeps when I try to carry it downstairs? I asked him.
"It won't." he quickly said, reassuring me.
I asked Piper if she would do it but she flat out refused.
"It beeps." she said.
I picked it up and Tucker quickly reminded me not to push the button on it. I tried to hand it to him, but he told me again that he was just a kid and couldn't do it. I handed it to Piper and amazingly, she took it from me and carried it down the stairs and set it on the counter.
"Now can I stay up?" she asked, referring to her upcoming nap.
"I suppose." I said. Bravery should be rewarded, after all.
"MOM! MOM! Hurry! There's a fire! MOM, WAKE UP!" Avery screamed, pounding my door down.
I sprang out of bed and whipped open my bedroom door. I've never seen such fear on their little faces.
"WHERE IS IT?" I asked, my heart pounding, as I ran towards the stairs to get Milo.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Avery yelled in complete hysterics, holding onto Tucker and Piper, who were both bawling. "The fire alarm said there was a fire!"
I ran upstairs and downstairs and found nothing. There was no smell of smoke and none of the smoke alarms were even going off.
I walked back into the living room, the three of them huddled together.
"What do you mean, the fire alarm said there was a fire?" I asked.
"Well, Tucker pushed the button on it and the lady inside it said, 'Fire, fire, go outside.'" Avery explained, her voice shaking.
Well, that explains it. We are finishing up remodeling the upstairs and while Chet was painting he took down the smoke detector from the wall and put it on the ledge, within reach of the kids. (And that poor lady that has to sit inside the smoke detector all day must have no life.)
I calmed them all down and we had a little chat about what smoke detectors do and how they are our friends and what to do in case there was a real fire. I even showed them that we live on the same block as the fire station and it wouldn't take them very long to come over if there was a fire.
This afternoon, I sent the kids upstairs to play so I could fold my laundry in peace. Milo likes to dive on top of the piles and throw clothes up in the air or into the kitchen sink. It's just easier when they play upstairs because he goes where they go.
But they kept coming back downstairs and were showing signs that they weren't all that interested in playing upstairs.
"Why do you keep coming down?" I asked.
"Well, there's that thing up there that keeps beeping." Tucker said, looking around nervously.
"The smoke detector?" I asked.
"Yeah." he said. "You should come fix it."
"Can you just bring it to me?" I asked. "I'll change the batteries."
He stared at me and started to hesitate.
"But, I, um, well, can't you just come get it?" he asked.
"When I'm done with the laundry, I will." I said. "Can't you just bring it to me?"
"Can I pick it up with a wet one?" he asked. That's how they pick up bugs, after all, so you don't have to touch them with your bare hands.
"Sure." I said, trying not to laugh.
He went upstairs, then quickly came back down.
"I can't get it, Mom. It's too heavy."
I'm sure it was, weighing in at about 12 ounces.
A few minutes later, I heard him say to himself, "Oh, I'll just put it in a blanket."
But that failed too. It was still too heavy.
He went back upstairs, determined to face his fear of carrying down a dying smoke detector. I sneakily followed, wanting to see what he was going to try next. It beeped again as I climbed the stairs and when I got into their room, I saw him huddled in his blanket.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"I'm freezing." he said, with complete fear in his eyes. "When it beeps, I get freezing."
Makes sense.
"Why can't you carry it down for me?" I asked him.
"Because I'm a kid." he said. "Avery will do it when she gets home. Or you could do it."
"What if it beeps when I try to carry it downstairs? I asked him.
"It won't." he quickly said, reassuring me.
I asked Piper if she would do it but she flat out refused.
"It beeps." she said.
I picked it up and Tucker quickly reminded me not to push the button on it. I tried to hand it to him, but he told me again that he was just a kid and couldn't do it. I handed it to Piper and amazingly, she took it from me and carried it down the stairs and set it on the counter.
"Now can I stay up?" she asked, referring to her upcoming nap.
"I suppose." I said. Bravery should be rewarded, after all.
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