Who wouldn’t want to get this phone call?

Last Fall our daughter Hannah called me. 22 years old and full of life. It was the middle of the day and she was amped up.

“Papa! I was just in the park with the girls (a couple of kids she was watching that day), there were a bunch of kids and nannys, some parents, dogs, it was really busy and this homeless man came out into the field in the middle of all of us shouting that his knee was killing him. He was screaming.
I told the girls to stay put in the sand box, I walked over, kept 10 feet between myself and him.

I told him my name and asked him his.

He got quieter, then I asked him what he needed - he was able to focus on me, he told me his knee was killing him it hurt so bad.

I asked him if I could call anyone - he said please call an ambulance - he had calmed down a lot by now. Then I offered him my water bottle and he accepted it, and waited for the ambulance to arrive - (then the best part for me) thank you for teaching me how to do that!”

Next she expressed real disappointment that the grown-ups were pulling their kids away and that they didn’t know what to do.

I assured her that there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s what we naturally do, and that I bet they wish they knew what to do like you did.

Frankly, this was a thrilling phone call to get, she was aware of her own safety, kept her interaction simple and clear, de-escalated a person in pain and got him appropriate help. She offered him water which can have the effect of regulating a persons’ breathing and help them focus on something tangible. She didn’t complicate her role, or risk the kids she was watching or herself. She didn’t over-engage by offering a ride, or attempting to be anything more than a connector to resources.

I am proud of Hannah, she did exactly the right thing.

Our kids grew up around the shelter environment as volunteers along with Steph and I. They have a good understanding of their role and if they aren’t aware of the resources in their area, they know what questions to ask.

We’ll talk more in future posts about our roles and specific ways we can learn about area resources and engage people we meet.

Way to go Hannah!!