Sometimes I feel like the meanest mom in the world. And that is because I just quite possibly am. I don’t know why God felt I should be the mother of a sensitive son, but He gave me Joshua so apparently I am supposed to be. But sometimes I do not have the patience for his sensitivities and that makes me feel really, really mean.
Joshua is in 3rd grade, which means this is his 4th year of school – the same school since kindergarten – where they, like all schools are mandated by law to do a once-monthly fire drill.
Joshua hates fire drills. He doesn’t mind the drill itself but the sound of the alarm and the surprise of it all scares him and despite the fact that he’s participated in oh, 25 or so fire drills during his academic career, he still lives in fear of the fire drill. He starts getting very nervous near the end of the month if they haven’t had one yet, and he gets mad if they have one near the beginning of the month because GEEZ WE JUST HAD ONE! IT’S TOO SOON!
Last week one of his older friends in our carpool had been informed by a teacher that the fire drill for September would be the next day, and he innocently mentioned this on the way home from school. Joshua busted through the front door after school and told me the dreadful news, breaking down in tears. TEARS. He’s 8.5 years old! He cried about it at school last month which concerns me because, dude, they are going to start making fun of you for that soon. This is 3rd grade. You aren’t in kindergarten anymore. The next day I heard through the grapevine that whenever he wasn’t working, he was sitting at his desk with his hands over his ears. ALL DAY, until the fire alarm rang. AAAHH!!
My child is sensitive. (And maybe a little wimpy!) We’ve talked about it ad nauseum and there doesn’t seem to be anything Bobby or I can say to make him less afraid of the dastardly dreaded fire drill.
And I really want to tell him to just grow a pair, already!
See?
Mean, mean, mean.
Sigh.
Any suggestions?
No suggestions- just lots of giggling!! You are funny!!!!
Aw, I actually feel really sorry for the little guy! I was that kid- petrified of fire drills- to the point that I missed more Kindergarten than I actually attended. I’d get to school in the morning and literally head straight for the nurse’s office because the thought of a fire dirll literally made my stomach hurt. My parents took me to the school counselor a few times to talk about it, and to our family doctor. (Don’t worry, I grew up into a mostly normal, only marginally neurotic adult. 🙂 My mom also made fire drill day ICE CREAM day, so I knew when I told her we had a fire drill that day, we’d get to go out for ice cream after school. I can’t remember what finally stopped my fear, but rest assured, I wasn’t still crying about it in middle school. And I’m pretty sure God is laughing at me now, because my oldest son is 100x more sensitive about everything than I ever was! 🙂 Ha! Hang in there, mama!
Well, at least he is comfortable enough to tell you how he feels. I think the sensitivity came through the genes. Someday you will all laugh about it at family gatherings.
I was a sensitive child, see what you have to look forward to!
Let him be him., ya big meanie!
UP
Oh GREAT.
j/k UP 🙂
I hated them all my life even when teaching. I left the building more often than not with my hands over my ears. My initial response to the alarm was panic even when I knew we were to have one. I think making it an ice cream day is a great idea. (He might start having one every day.)
See what I mean about the genetic link? Hope he gets all of their talents, intelligence and kind hearts,too!
His cousin Drew has never had to endure the fire drill (thankfully!) but I can say with confidence that when he was little, he would have responded the same way. They both have such sensitive ears, and Drew, at least, HATES surprises. Even when they aren’t really surprises. Once the teacher of his Sunday school class turned all the seats 90 degrees so that they were facing a different way. He stopped short at the doorway and wouldn’t go to Sunday school for a whole month. In third grade he dropped out of Sunday school all together. It was “TOO LOUD”
But he’s pretty well adjusted these days. I think it just takes time.
Sing it with me now! “Sunday School dropout, no confirmation day for you! Sunday School dropout…”
I hate to say it, but maybe if the kids in his class *do* start making fun of him for it, he will stop. You know those third graders and their peer pressure tactics.
But, I’m all with Toni and your dad. Celebrate with ice cream! But, that may have a negative Pavlov’s dog kind of reaction. Fire drill bell = salivating for a drumstick.
My daughter is the SAME way, she’s in first grade, and I know she’ll still be crying in third grade, we’re no where near being over it. Is Joshua afraid of movies and things on stage, too? She absolutely refuses to see any Disney princess movies, because they all have scary villans in them. She loves loves loves Ariel, but when I got the DVD from the library, she ran upstairs to her room and would not come back out until I put the DVD back in the car. Good times.
She’s terrified of assemblies, and cried through most of them last year – it’s anything that has the potential to be loud and unexpected. I hope we figure it out soon!
Does he have any ideas what might make it less scary? I think the teachers at our school know the time it will happen and usually give the kids a heads up a minute or two before it goes off. Are his teachers able to do this? Poor kid! Good luck!
His teacher does now know that he is scared so I think she is going to take some measures to help him out a bit. She’s so sweet!
:o) I think his teacher is pretty awesome too!
Could you copy / record/ reproduce the fire drill alarm sound and practice having drills at home? It would help him get used to the sound of the alarm. Does he not like surprises in general? The ice cream idea is also a good one.
I would talk to the teacher and the principal. See if there is anything they or you can do to not
Make this so traumatic—kind of defeats the point if it is 🙂 the ice cream day is a GREAT idea!!