This week, at my kid's school, a few of the parents have been in to talk about their jobs to the kids.No one invited me. Apparently, "sits around in pajamas and watches YouTube" isn't a viable profession. Talk to the hand, sir, the paycheck speaks for itself.
But I digress.
The kids were visited by a dental hygienist, and a policeman, and when I dropped my daughter off today, there was a fireman sitting on the floor with 50 tiny people staring at him.
I stood next to one of the other moms, who explained that the fireman was "Uncle Tim", and that the police officer earlier in the week was her husband. (Talk about public safety at holiday get-togethers!) She mentioned something that was so interesting - which I had never thought about before, but that I thought was so valuable.
The reason Uncle Tim wanted to talk to the kids, she explained, was because he wanted them to see what he looked like under his uniform.
"Don't we all," I thought to myself, but quickly steered myself back to the conversation at hand.
As we spoke, Uncle Tim, who had started out in a teeshirt and pants, pulled on his jacket, and showed the kids how it protected him from fire, and then his hood. His hood covered his head and neck with a small opening for his face, and the kids laughed as he pulled it on. To encourage the idea that he looked silly, Uncle Tim stuck out his arms and waggled his fingers as the kids watched intently and giggled. He pulled on his helmet, and still smiling, pulled down the face mask and quickly pulled it up again. He waved at the kids with both hands, and they clapped and laughed.
The other mom explained that Tim tried reaching out to school groups because the one time children might see a firefighter up close is in the middle of a fire. In full panic, kids come face to face with giant creatures in heavy, large outfits with reflective tape, breathing like Darth Vader with helmets that cover their faces and their arms outstretched, and the children run in the other direction. A firefighter in person is much larger and more frightening than a small, happy cartoon. That realization absolutely took my breath away.
Talk to your kids' school or local fire department and see if you can arrange a similar visit - it could make all the difference.
Thanks, Uncle Tim!
