FireLink

A few months ago my 6 yr old step son told me he was worried about me getting killed at work. Thinking about me getting hurt occupied most of his days. I wasn't really sure what to say to him at first. I just tried to tell him everything that we do at work to keep each other safe such as training, PT. It seemed to help a lot he has not mentioned it to me again. Has anyone went though this?

cushmanfire11 said:

My son.At first he had a very hard time cause his daddy and I were both volunteer's, along with his uncle and pawpaw. He would jump up every time time the tones would go off and ask who would take care of him if we both didn't come home. We would try to reassure him that everything would be ok...but he still had his worries. We had sat down with him several times and showed him our equipment, how it would keep us safe, but he still had his worries. When we would pick him up after a fire his and face would glow cause we were all safe. This went on for months. Then one day he stopped asking. I asked him was he feeling better about us going in the fires now and he looked up at me and said,with a tear in his eye, "I don't have to worry anymore mom cause my baby brother is in heaven now and he told me he was watching over you."

This question just hit me. We (the family) have been doing this, FF, LE, Military etc. for 5 generations plus. None of my 4 kids ever asked me or my wife that, which I can remember. What I remember is when the kids would have friends sleep over; they warn them if you hear funny noises in the night and someone running down the stairs, don’t get scared. It’s only dad making a run. I remember one Saturday I was to take my oldest son to a birthday party. I went on a run and was gone for a good 3 hours. Here is the kid, around 8 y.o. sitting on the sofa patiently waiting for me. I apologized for being late. The kid looks up and tells me it’s ok. Someone really needed you. Even on the job at the city, it was never talked about. It never came up. It has been the way we live our lives. This is just normal to us. Even when I lost my father when I was 12. He never came home. It sucked, but I guess you force yourself to move on. It’s kind of funny though how even that never stopped me. Now I have my younger son on the job (paid) with a city dept. My one Nephew in FDNY in Little Italy and another graduating from the Naval Academy.
2 cousins career military and 3 WWII vets. I guess it’s not bad for a family that only immigrated here in 1924.

cushmanfire11 said: I asked him was he feeling better about us going in the fires now and he looked up at me and said,with a tear in his eye, “I don’t have to worry anymore mom cause my baby brother is in heaven now and he told me he was watching over you.”

Way sorry to hear about baby brother, but what a cool thing for a kid to say! Gotta think there's something to it. I'll light a candle.

Gwyd said:

cushmanfire11 said: I asked him was he feeling better about us going in the fires now and he looked up at me and said,with a tear in his eye, “I don’t have to worry anymore mom cause my baby brother is in heaven now and he told me he was watching over you.”

Way sorry to hear about baby brother, but what a cool thing for a kid to say! Gotta think there's something to it. I'll light a candle.

GOD works in mysterious ways.