Our children are our pride, joy and, sometimes, our greatest source of embarrassment! In thinking back on some of the doozies my kids have presented me with, I was reminded of this funny (and embarrassing) event.
About two years ago, my parents were visiting from out of town, and they brought along my nephew to play with my daughter. The kids get along so well that often we grownups would have time to sit and chat over a cup of coffee. My mom and I were doing just that in the basement while the kids were playing upstairs. We heard a lot of screaming, but when we asked, the kids just told us that they were running away from the dinosaurs that were chasing them. It seemed harmless enough so we returned to our chat.
Then the phone began to ring, but on my fax line. I had been having lots of wrong numbers on that line so I chose to ignore it. It rang again a second time, then a third. Finally, on the fourth call I looked at the call display, which read, ominously: “CALGARY POLICE”. I decided to answer.
I was asked if everything was all right, because four calls had just been made to 911 from my line and the operator could hear nothing but screaming in the background. Blushing, I explained to the operator that it must have been the kids playing around. “Is there someone making you say that?”, she asked me. “No”, I replied, abashed.
Q: “How many children are in the home?”
A: “Two.”
Q: “And how many adults are in the home?”
A: “Ahh…three…” very abashed by now!
After a significant pause, during which my shame and embarrassment grew, the operator informed me that the Police are required to send a team of officers to investigate every 911 call. She then politely suggested that I have a word with the children before the officers arrived. Gramma and I did, and my poor nephew was petrified that they were going to take him away. My daughter, on the other hand, didn’t seem to know what to make of it.
Soon, the police arrived. They introduced themselves to the children and asked them their names. My nephew was too frightened to say anything, so my daughter stepped up and said, “I’m Oscar, and this is my cousin Lenny!” The police officer looked slightly confused but smiled and patiently listened to my embarrassed explanation that the kids had been to the theatre earlier in the week and had seen the movie Shark Tale in which the two main characters were Oscar and his cousin…Lenny.
After composing myself, I asked the children to explain what they had done and to apologize to the officers. The policemen asked the children to promise they wouldn’t call 911 again unless it was a real emergency (vicious dinosaurs, being extinct, do NOT fall into this category). Then I apologized for not paying closer attention to the kids’ game. Finally, one constable went upstairs to check that there were no threatening personages in the home. Then, with a last gentle admonishment to the kids, they left. My mom and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. Thank God the police officers had a sense of humour!
Kath
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