But that is not what this post is about.
Last week we got a letter sent home with the kids asking that we pack a set of emergency clothes (specifically earthquake) a cuddle toy, a family picture and a letter. I thought ok... I can do that.
Wait did that say a letter?
"please send a comfort letter in case your child can not be with you in time of an emergency."
What the what? It had honestly never crossed my mind that she might not be with us if god forbid something ever happened here.
I waited a couple of days and them decided that I should pack this ziplock bag. I grabbed an outfit that she has never worn, specifically one that I am not at all attached to, a new pair of back to school socks, underpants... I didn't know what to pack as a cuddle toy, Poppy has never been attached to any specific toy for more than a day, and it had to be small. I grabbed a little chicken stuffy and plopped it in. Then the letter.....
What do you say to your child in a hypothetical emergency situation, a situation where you can not be there to comfort them. A situation where your child's teacher needs to be a stand in parent.
I told her that we love her, that we will be there soon, that she needs to listen to her teachers because they are just trying to keep her safe, and that we will be there to get her soon.
Writing that little letter was really hard. I didn't know what to say without saying the obvious, and I hope that what I said is enough. I hope that while an emergency is actually taking place the teachers actually have time and wits about them to read them to our children. That and that if there is an emergency it happens in the spring because otherwise she is gonna freeze.
3 comments:
Wow...
I couldn't imagine having to write that letter...or not being with my kids in a disaster situation..
I think you wrote it perfectly, short, sweet, honest, and with words she can understand...
The thought of having to write a letter like that makes me quiver a little. Nevermind the thought of my kids not being with me in an emergency. That is something I will definitely be pondering over the next few days. I love the idea that your preschool does that though!
I've had to write a couple of those letters myself, and I never know what to say. What if I'm dead somewhere? Gah! It's so awful.
I take some comfort in the fact that my child goes to kindergarten for only 12.5 hours per week, so the odds of her being there when the Big One hits are actually very, very low.
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