911

This morning we were visited by two big, burly police officers.

It started when I was in the bathroom after my shower and I heard the phone ring.

No, it started several days ago when I wrote up a list of emergency numbers to fulfill a requirement for our foster parenting home study. At the very top of the list is ‘911.’ I went over the list with Eli and we talked about what to do in case of an emergency. 911 was a very important part of that conversation, along with the three neighbors he could go to for help.

Jump forward to this morning. Normally, if all is quiet when I finish my shower, I go check on the boys right away before getting ready. This morning I could hear them playing right outside the bathroom door so I knew they weren’t getting into anything. It sounded like they were really into pretending something or other. Then the phone rang. The boys were playing in the living room by this time and quite oblivious to the phone.

“This is the OPP. We just received a 911 hang up call.”

I was confused. The boys were playing happily in the living room. But they said it came from this phone number.

“Just a minute,” I told the woman on the other line. “Eli and Evan, were you playing with the phone?”

They nodded.

“What number did you call?”

Eli’s answer: “911.”

I explained to the 911 dispatcher and she said that she would need to send a couple officers over to check on us. Policy.

I hung up the phone and quickly got dressed. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of answering the door in my bathrobe.

So Eli and Evan stood watch at the window until the police car pulled up. Thankfully, they were very friendly. I want my kids to like police officers. They talked to us a bit and then left. Eli said he was embarrassed, but I think it was kind of exciting too.

I’ve explained to the boys that if I’m really sick or hurt, 911 is the number to call. I reiterated the purpose of 911 for the boys. “It’s for when someone really is having trouble.”

Superhero Eli responded, “We thought you were in trouble!”

Right. As I thought back to the play I was hearing from the bathroom, it is quite possible that they were pretending I was in trouble. I wasn’t able to hear what they were saying, but I had a feeling that I was involved in whatever they were imagining. I just thought it was something more typical, like getting ready to attack the enemy in the bathroom or spying on her or setting a trap for her. But apparently they were looking out for my well-being. Thank you, dear little superheroes.