The sun shone hot that July day as I sat by the pool with my two precious little boys, one just barely;5;years;old;and;the;other
a curious, active 2-year-old. I finished
slathering sunscreen on their smooth
little arms and turned my attention to
applying more of the same to my legs. It
took;me;all;of;two;minutes;to;finish;both
legs, but it was time that I could not afford, because when I glanced up again,
my oldest son Joshua stood watching me,
but Caleb was missing.
Panicked, I jumped to my feet as I
questioned Joshua about his brother’s
whereabouts, and then we both spotted
him at the same time. He was lying on
his;back,;floating;almost;peacefully;just
under;the;water’s;surface.;I;grabbed;him
by the little white T-shirt he was wearing
and pulled him to me in one swift mo-tion.;Without;thinking,;I;flipped;him;on
his;stomach;across;my;knees;and;tapped
him between the shoulder blades several
times, causing him to cough up what
seemed;like;a;river.;As;he;began;to;cry,
so did I.
Fifteen years later, that event remains
one of his earliest memories. In a matter of seconds, our lives can change, and
knowing;how;to;stay;calm;and;respond
to an emergency can mean the difference between a tragic ending or an exciting story.
Basic;lifesaving;skills;are;not;often;at
the top of our lists as we ponder which
math program to choose this year or
whether to teach biology or chemistry.
While math and science are critical com-ponents;of;a;child’s;education,;no;one;will
die;if;calculus;is;not;mastered.;Knowing
how to administer lifesaving first aid,
however, may be a matter of life or death.
Consider the following statistics from
the American Heart Association (AHA):
The leading cause of death in the United
States is sudden cardiac arrest. Of those
who suffer an arrest, most occur at home
or;another;private;setting.;Only;41%;of
those receive CPR until an emergency
response;team;arrives.;As;a;result,;89%
of cardiac arrest victims die because no
one was able to give them the help they
needed on the scene. 1
People;are;often;hesitant;to;respond
to;serious;accidents;due;to;a;lack;of;con-fidence;in;their;ability,;but;anyone;can
learn;the;skills;necessary;to;make;a;dif-ference.;God;uses;kids;to;save;lives;too!
For example, young Tilly Smith, who
was;just;10;years;old;at;the;time,;saved
the lives of countless people during the
disastrous tsunami that hit the island of
Phuket;in;December;2004.2 She put to
use what she had learned in Geography
class when she spotted the warning signs
of the impending wave, and she warned
those around her.
In;the;same;way,;our;kids;can;be;the;dif-
ference;between;life;and;death.;An;8-year-
old performed;CPR;on;his;mom;when
she collapsed, saving her life. He learned
it from watching The History Channel. 3
A quick-thinking 9-year-old boy saved
his;2-year-old;sister;by;using;CPR;after
she fell into a swimming pool. 4;Taking
the;time;to;add;CPR;to;your;curriculum
could be a life-changing decision.
Even a very small child can learn to
dial 9-1-1. Just because your child is
very;young,;don’t;neglect;to;include;him
in an emergency scenario. Disconnect
your landline telephone and allow the
child to practice dialing the numbers
and saying his name and address. Be
sure he can say your real name and not
just;“Mommy”;or;“Daddy.”;Teach;your
preschooler this skill without creating
unnecessary fears by teaching him that
this number is a way to call for help if
Mommy;or;Daddy;is;not;able;to;do;it.;Be
sure to tell him we only use this special
number for emergencies.
There;is;no;specific;age;recommended
for an introduction to actual basic life-
saving;measures,;but;8;is;a;good;starting
place. At this age, a child typically has the
physical strength and the maturity to be
able;to;perform;CPR.;Parents;must;make
this decision based on their intimate
knowledge;of;their;individual;child.;Your
family’s;circumstances;also;play;a;role;in
choosing the appropriate time. For example, if you have a special needs child
or one parent deals with chronic illness,
CPR;is;a;necessity.
Perhaps;your;teen;daughter;is;just;be-ginning to babysit or your family volunteers in the church nursery. As any sea-soned;mother;knows,;babies;love;to;put
everything in their mouths. Familiarity
with the Heimlich maneuver for babies is
invaluable. Even if your children are not
ready;for;this;level;of;training,;make;it;a
priority;for;yourself!;(Editor’s;Note:;The
Heimlich maneuver can save the lives of
drowning victims as well—see the video
here:;http://bit.ly/1gMvcOq.)
If;you;are;not;proficient;in;CPR,;look
for community classes that the whole
family could join. Community colleges
often offer CPR classes. Hospitals also
offer;CPR;instruction;for;the;public,;and
their;classes;may;be;less;expensive.;Per-haps you have an RN or a paramedic parent in your co-op who might be willing
to offer a class. Homeschoolers are cre-ative;in;finding;resources!
The American Heart Association’s
website is a fantastic source of informa-
tion and even has a one-minute video
that teaches the basics of a method called
Hands-Only;CPR.;This;method;does;not
involve mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
and is therefore less complicated than full
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
By;Sharon
Duncan
OPPOSITE PAGE: Practicing chest compressions on a teddy
bear makes learning about a scary subject less intimidating.
Knowing;how;to;stay;calm;and;respond;to;an
emergency can mean the difference in a tragic
ending or an exciting story.
