911

When Ansley was about three,  Benay walked in on a conversation she was having with someone on the phone.  Benay took the phone from her and heard a voice on the line.  She then had a conversation with a man who worked for 911 who informed Benay that Ansley had called them.  

He was very kind, understanding and even complemented Benay on the way Ansley spoke on the phone.  Before he said goodbye he told Benay that he wanted to talk to Ansley again.  He wanted to reassure her, make sure she was okay and tell her that she did a good job. We were impressed with the way he treated our daughter.  He could have easily gotten agitated but he showed her grace and kindness. At the end of that conversation Ansley said, "Okay.....I love you. Bye."  

Why share this story from so many years ago?  Because we had a little deja vu today. 

This afternoon I walked into the kitchen and found Benay having a serious conversation with Anderson.  Bronwyn, Ansley, Garrett and Granna (Benay's mom) were all in the kitchen listening.  Seems Anderson had called 911 and the 911 services had called Benay's mom to make sure everything was okay here in the house.  

They informed Benay's mom that when Anderson was asked what his emergency was he responded with, "Pop goes the weasel."  

Classic and Awesome were two words that immediately popped into my mind.  A story that will be told from now on. 

Benay told Anderson that it was okay this time but if he ever did it again he was going to get a spanking.  Seems he and Garrett were playing emergency this morning and he heard Garrett say, "Call 911."  So a few hours later he did. 

As Benay was finishing up her talk with Anderson for some reason she looked up at me (I was behind Anderson) and I started laughing which just triggered it in everyone in the kitchen except for Granna.  

Side note: When I was 18 I almost got a smack from my mom for being a smart aleck.  I stood there ready to take it because I knew I deserved it.  I was being a jerk. Ever since then, I tell people that was the last time I had a parent spank or almost spank me.  I was wrong.  After Anderson left the kitchen this afternoon Granna came over and gave me a spanking with a wooden spoon for laughing at the situation.  

Anderson left the kitchen and just broke down.  I mean he had a meltdown.  He is definitely our emotionally charged child.  When I went back to where he was, he was crying and upset because he thought the police were coming to kill him.  Bronwyn, Garrett and I had a long talk about how the police are our friends and why they were calling about the 911 call.

 

He and Garrett then went off to take a shower.  While they were in the shower a policeman actually showed up  at our door.  Following protocol, he said.  He spoke to Granna for a bit and then left.  We didn't let Anderson know about that visit for fear of another meltdown.  

When Anderson came out of the shower he had Granna waiting for him.  I heard her tell him how much she loved him.  She also told him he was her favorite 5 year old grandson.  

Lesson learned and, more importantly, he felt loved afterward.  

About 5 minutes before all this happened I had taken some action police shots of Anderson as he was playing cops and robbers with Garrett.  He was decked out with gun and badge.  Army hat added a little extra to the outfit. 

I guess the cop part was kind of prophetic.