Be Prepared

Be prepared... Isn't that the scout motto?
So we decided we would try a bit of emergency preparedness for family night last week. I wanted the kids the "practice" going down the fire escape ladder. We have had an emergency plan for such emergencies for about a year or so, but have never even taken the ladder out of its box.
We threw the ladder out Sam's window. That was the plan. The ladder was not long enough to clear the roof. We decided jumping the last 5 or so feet would not be such a great idea. So we tried the window in our bedroom. We darn near broke the window on the main level that is right under our window. We decided it would not be a great idea to climb down a ladder with no shoes on (because if there really is a fire, who has time to get shoes) and walk all over broken glass. So the third time we threw the ladder out our bathroom window. Ahh, success! Now we just had to climb down the ladder.
We had to convince the kids this little practice was a great idea. Sam, of course, was brave at first. That is until he looked down from the two story window. Then he proceeded to cry like a baby. After some convincing, he headed down the ladder and decided it was ok. He came back up for another try.
Maren was a bit of a train wreck. She was crying so loud the neighbor lady came out to see what we were doing. She tried to act like it was a good idea when I was explaining to her why our six year old was screaming like a mad woman.
Maren finally went down the ladder once I convinced her I would never let her fall.
I was next. Now some of you may know just how brave I am. I have been bungy jumping, paragliding over the Swiss Alps, and I have even done that crazy fly-through- the-air- at-1000-miles-an- hour-ride at some amusement park in Houston. I am brave! Seriously, I could have peed my pants climbing down this fire escape ladder. It was so scary. The ladder is oh, so skinny. You have to poke your butt out into thin air in order to get down the steps, of course all while the ladder is swinging and swaying. I tell you what, I ain't so brave anymore. No wonder Maren was screaming like crazy. I had to be the most brave looking mother on the planet. I had to convince all within the sound of my voice, that it really wasn't that bad. And if there really was a fire in the house, we would have to perform this task at mock speed.
Wow. What a night. I am glad we tried it out. We would have been dead if there really was a fire. To all of you that read this; be prepared! Practice on the ladder!