Open letter to Brinks Security,
I get it. I get your ad campaign. The commercials where the mom is at home with the kids and someone breaks in a window or smashes down a door. You're trying to scare the crap out of me so I'll get your security system. Well, it's only partially working. See, I live in an apartment building. We don't DO security systems. So, yeah, you lose there. You ARE, however, suceeding scaring the CRAP out of my children (and me). WHY do you have to have your commericals run during Extreme Home Makeover? And Deal or No Deal? Or other shows during "the family hour"? I've started sitting there with the remote in my hands at ALL times (all I need to do is shove my hand down my waist-band and I'll be my ex) so that if one of your stupid commercials comes on, I can quick change the channel or pause the tv and wait 30 seconds and skip to the next commercial. I have to be honest with you, Mr. Brinks, even if I LIVED in a house, I would look to another company for my security needs because I don't LIKE people who scare my kids.
Not-Sincerely
Lizzy
_________________________________
Essie & Gert and I went to Target Friday night. On the way home Gert informed me that on Monday (today) they were having a lock down drill at their school. My heart leapt into my throat. I like to live in denial... and if I don't think about the HORROR that could befall my children at school... then I'm okay. But when the school is planning for it (and please - i WANT them to plan for it - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE overplan for it) but that makes it real, and not able to be denied.
Gert matter of factly told me the difference between a perimeter lockdown (school doors are locked but they can move freely about the school) and a total lockdown (no leaving their classrooms) and obviously her teacher has done a great job to prepare them for the day. I wish someone would prepare me. THEN Gert informs me that in a total lockdown they go to "Mrs. Johnson's first grade classroom" (thank you Verbatim Girl) and it dawned on me that because of the layout of their school, Gert's classroom doesn't HAVE a door... they have a big opening in their wall. So in the even of a lockdown, they have to WALK THROUGH THE HALLWAY to a room with a door. Get that?? WALKING... THROUGH THE HALLWAY... Um.. I have issues. Big ones.
When the girls school was built, the "open school" was all the rage. I know, i went to one... but at some point some of the classrooms were given full walls and doors. And at this point, in a society where we have to have lock down drills, I think they should ALL have doors. Yeah... I'll be writing letters.
Last night Gert got out of bed around 11 or so... came into the living room, tears brimming in her eyes and chin quivering.... scared about the lock down drill today. I held her and told her that her teacher just wanted to make sure they were safe and that she needed to listen and follow directions and that everything will be fine. I reminded her that she used to call tornado drills "tomato drills" and she laughed and felt better. I kissed her and patted her tushie as she headed back to bed. And then I sat down... with tears brimming in my eyes... and my chin quivering.
Jesus... protect my babies.
Monday, November 17, 2008
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44 comments:
I hate this for you!
And I woulndn't buy security from someone who tried to scare me into it, either.
I so didn't know you used to be married to Al Bundy. Dude! Why didn't you tell me?
And second I totally get your fear. And I so think they need to do some remodeling in the way of doors at those sweet little girls school.
That is scary. I got goose bumps just thinking about it. What happened to our world where they have to have lock down drills at schools?
Yes, scary indeed! Poor little Gert. And poor Mommy!
Last week when I went to pick up my daughter from her after school art program, I noticed the Director was talking to each car as they pulled up. Apparently, there was a shooting 15 blocks away (had I been watching the news instead of blogging, I would have seen this) and they had locked the school down. Each parent was required to go in to the school, ID in hand, to get their child. Scary stuff!
OUr kids have earthquake preparedness training ....that's scary too!
I don't think Madalyn's school has done a total lockdown drill. But this county is very sensitive to security. There is quite the procedure to get into the building. And Madalyn's classroom is a trailer (wait...excuse me, a Learning cottage) - but the doors are always locked. I feel pretty safe. And I won't even tell you what got the county into overdrive on the security measures...
I know what lock downs are, but since I don't live in that world yet (the world of having a school-aged child), I'm in denial. The little girl I keep in the afternoon did inform me that they once had a "volcano drill" at their school. Tornado, volcano...you know - both very common in NC. Easy to get them confused.
There's always something for us mommies to worry about isn't there?
We've come some far sense we were kids. Our kids have so much more to be afraid as do we for them.
Every time I leave my babies, I pray that God would put a hedge of protection around them until we are together again. He has been faithful each time, and a bonus: after I say this prayer, God leaves me with such a sense of peace in my heart, as if He is telling me, "Yep, got it, I'm on it, Heather".
Here's praying for that kind of peace for you.
Man, it's hard to be a mom. In so many ways.
Ouch. I hear ya. We were only in need of tornado drills and fire drills when I was in school. I hate that our poor children have to face these things.
I've never found the Brinks commercials scary...just cheesy.
aww they will be just fine my dear!!
I remember nuclear drills when I was in school (yes, I am that old). Used to scare me to pieces, but it never happened. Now they have drills for things that actually happen in schools. It freaks me out too. Lots of praying going on.
I like my little world of denial too.
One of the most frightening things ever for me, was reading a book in which a mentally ill woman went into a school and shot several children. (true story) I was never the same after reading that book.
You have won an award Lizzie. Come on over to receive.
I got a little freaked when Drama Princess told me the first time they had a lockdown drill... it is scary to think about.
And I don't like those commercials being on during "family hour", either!
Whew, I'm with ya on this one. Mine went throght 2 fires at when they were still in school. Hard to see that on the noon news knowing your kids are there!
Let us know how it goes for Gert today.
PS Love the hand down the pants comment!!!
I hate it when they have to scare the crap outta our kids to teach them to be safe. What really got me was when my oldest was in Pre-K and they did fire drills during their naptime. Nothing is more hateful to me than to wake a sleeping child and rush them out the door. Cruel, if you ask me!
Poor girl! After the VA Tech shootings, my son was traumatized and scared to go to school. The school counselor took him around and showed him all the school safety features and he felt better. So sad our babies have to be exposed to such things!!
I'm probably one of the most worried mothers on the planet. I think up things that could happen and obsess over them. A friend once told me that God can take much better care of my children than I can. While I know this to be true, I still go into panic mode when the TV breaks in with the Emergency Broadcast System. It's always "only a test", but right away I'm going over scenarios of the worst kind.
God can take much better care of these kids than I can.....I'll get it one of these days....until then, I need more Prozac.
Oh my goodness - we're living parallel lives! Kiddo also had a lockdown drill the other week in kindergarten. Scared the crap out of me much more than it did her, fortunately. I asked the teacher about it; turns out they have four mandatory drills for each of the levels of lockdown during the year. Funny how *that* never was mentioned to parents in any of the handbooks or other materials that came home...
In other news, we have a security system (not Brinks though) and the one time it went off and it wasn't Hubby or me inadvertently triggering it, we were sound asleep in bed and it was about 5am. Woke up in a TOTAL PANIC and as Hubby raced downstairs, I raced into Kiddo's room to check on her. She was gone.
Double heart attack on the spot. I was frozen in total fear, listening to the ridiculously loud siren going off, 'til it shut off and Hubby came back upstairs with a sobbing Kiddo in his arms. She'd woken up, gone downstairs and was looking in the garage for someone - apparently a dream she'd had about her aunt visiting - and by opening the door to the garage, she'd triggered the alarm. Oh, and did I mention that was on Mother's Day, too? Good times.
Also, there are SO many inappropriate commercials on tv during daytime/family hours, it is infuriating. Kiddo was watching golf with Hubby on Sunday afternoon when in one commercial break, an erectile dysfunction ad, a commercial for one of that network's crime shows (very graphic) and a commercial for His and Hers KY Jelly came on. YIKES. Hubby now turns off the TV during commercial breaks or does the same pause/ff thing as you. Yeesh.
What a rollercoaster day of emotions. I hate those Brinks commercials too. I also dislike the show that proves to you how much of a target you are for thieves and how easily they can ransack your home. I am not too thrilled about seeing how vulnerable I am. Living in ignorant bliss is fine by me.
We do CODE BLUE drills a couple of times a year, but we never tell the kids ahead of time. I think that was a little silly. Our principal will tell us ahead of time so we can remind the kids about the procedure, then he'll come on and announce one. It is a bit scary, even being the adult and knowing it's a drill. Because the whole time you're hunkered down in the dark, you can't help thinking what it would REALLY be like.
Okay, I'm not helping you. :/
Since my kids go to school on base, they already have a heightened sense of awareness, but a sense of security at the same time. I try to live in denial at all times.
And I love my security system...but it's ADT.
I hate it when Miss Pink gets scared and I can't keep all the scary thoughts out of her nervous little brain (which is just like mine.)
Right now she is scared every night about the end of the world. And every night I tell her I can't guarantee that the world won't end tonight, but I'm 99% sure it won't and that God has the whole world in his hands.
I would write those letters about the classrooms, though. Some things are fixable.
Lockdown drills are scary, indeed. But it's a small price to pay for trying to keep our kids safe, I guess.
On a happier note, You're A Winner! Please come by my place to Pick Up Your Bling!
It freaks me out a bit also when I hear of the drills my kids have had. I was even having lunch with them one day a few years ago when there was a drill of some sort. I remember (back in the day) having tornado drills where we would go in the hall...like that was the really safe place. We also went their for nuclear bomb drills. Because nuclear bombs will never find you in the halls.
As if we mothers needed one more thing to wake up in a cold sweat over! Right when you think you'll get to sleep through the night, not waking up worrying about whether or not they are breathing, something else pops into your head to scare the pants off of you.
Poor Gert! Poor you! Stupid Brinks...
Praying for you!
OMG....OK HOMESCHOOLING HERE I COME. That is scary and HMMM I wonder if that goes on here in our schools...I am so going to find out. I have not heard a word about it as of yet..HMMM YOU make me wonder!
It is sad, but this is the day and age we live in. Lock down drills are a necessity. Better to be prepared, then to have something happen and have chaos.
Chances are that nothing will happen, but the school is wise to be prepared. Our schools do lock down drills. The kids get used to them...just like fire drills. Security is important. (Just look at Debbie..protecting her school!!)
When I started elem school we used to have air raid drills, where the big siren would go off that you could hear all over the neighborhood....and all us kids would "duck and cover" under our desks. Really, the lock down drills are nothing new.
Great idea to take action against the "open" classroom. Our county is finally building in the last of the schools that had that layout!!
God is in control. Do not fear. Keep praying girl!!
PS. I HATE those Brinks commercials too....who was the genius behind them???
There's a prison across the highway from our town and the kids have real lock downs all the time. I was stuck in the school during one once and they are serious things. It was a total lock down where you couldn't even walk in front of a window or anything.
Having said that, though, as much as I hate that they have to be done, after experiencing one I'm impressed with how organized it was and I feel like my kids were really safe inside with their teachers.
The bummer was that it lasted three hours...during lunch and the kids started to cry because they were hungry. So, the teacher and I crawled around the classroom trying to find snacks for everyone.
Precious memories.
Okay, Just scrolled through your comments and I have to say that Kat referring to the trailer as a "learning cottage" cracked me up!!! I have never heard that before. Here in MD we call them portables...too funny!!
First--there are a lot of commercials I wish they would pull of the air. We are depending more and more on our DVR so we don't have to deal with it.
Second -- the drill thin scares the bejeebies out of my youngest daughter. So much so that for DAYS before hand it is all she can talk about to the point of obsession. The day comes and she is fine for that night but the next day starts the anticipation for the next drill. UGH!
We don't watch commericals anymore.
And, this ia a scary world we live in. That's another "pro" for the homeschooling arguement.
Totally not cool. I'm still afraid of fire because of a Webster episode.
Its soooo tough being a mom, huh? Worry, its all I do! Trust in God, Lizzy....He will protect your babies!!
As an adult I get nervous when we have lock down drills at our school. It's eerily quiet and even though you know there are no bad guys there it feels that way. We had one yesterday and I wanted to run to my children's classrooms and whisk them away...scary stuff!
just reading it gave me chills! But better prepared than not and write those letters!
I'm so right there with you...whenever I see one...I find myself checking all the windows and doors...though I have a feeling it wouldn't help....love the letter....
Oh, I hate those security commercials. My husband has to wake me up before he leaves for work, 6 in the morning, so I can lock all the doors. That commercial with the guy ramming in the door when the women is doing dishes freaks me out.
I hate it when my kids are scared, it makes everything worse.
Great Post.. I don't know how I'm even going to allow my kid to go to daycare let alone regular, scary, public school!!
Hello fellow SITS-er. Enjoyed your Dear Letter. I am right there with you on that. I use to work for Brinks as a phone monitor. The one who would call when your alarm goes off. I do not like scare campaings to sell a product. But what would you have them put on to show fast response and how the alarm works? Come visit me at:
http://theysayimnuts.blogspot.com/2008/11/dear-crazy-friends.html
Very scary indeed! I remember when the only "drill" we had was a fire drill. Scary the way the world has changed. The only thing I can do is pray that He will keep my kids safe while at school.
I agree...those commercials are scary. Hope you baby's feeling better today!
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