As soon as I first heard the rumbles of thunder overnight, I knew my wife and I would soon have company. Sure enough, just before one of the loudest thunder claps during what turned out to be an impressive storm, our six year old walked into the room, saying, "I really don't like the thunder." In the interest of getting any sleep, we let him crawl into bed with us, and like any good parent I told him that daddy wouldn't let anything hurt him.
Of course, as I thought about it today, I realized that's not really a promise that I can keep. For all the things we parents do to keep our children safe, we can't control the weather and the damage it could cause.
But we can certainly prepare for it. We should all have an emergency kit ready to go should we need to leave immediately and a plan for where we would go, and have flashlights ready should the power be knocked out.
The best way to be prepared is to know what's coming so you can get to a safe place before the storm hits. Wednesday afternoon,
my Red Cross Tornado app alerted me to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in Erie, Genesee and Wyoming Counties. That was extremely useful information since my cubicle has no windows and it was sunny when I arrived to work!
So no, we may not be able to guarantee we can keep our children safe. But we can help them stay out of harm's way and be prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store.
Of course, as I thought about it today, I realized that's not really a promise that I can keep. For all the things we parents do to keep our children safe, we can't control the weather and the damage it could cause. But we can certainly prepare for it. We should all have an emergency kit ready to go should we need to leave immediately and a plan for where we would go, and have flashlights ready should the power be knocked out.
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