Prepare your kids to handle emergencies at home: It’s a life skill

No parent wants their child or the family to be affected by a medical, natural or human-made disaster. But these far-away dangers happen to us at least once in our lifetime. Here are a few tips on how to prepare your kids for emergencies without getting paranoid.  

Explain emergencies in an age-appropriate manner 
A 10-year-old and a 17-year-old won’t have the same reaction to an emergency. If you are down with COVID19, your 10-year-old needs to concentrate on keeping his or her daily schedule in place without you, and maintain hygiene rules. But a 17-year-old needs to know the exact picture and extent of danger.  

Make a disaster management plan 
A disaster management plan is common on a corporate level. For a family, it means knowing what to do when things go wrong. What should your 7-year-old tell strangers if he gets lost in a fair? Who should your 12-year-old do if she finds you are having a heart attack? And how should your 16-year-old run the house if you are hospitalised? Make sure they have the numbers of all family members, helpful neighbours, your office, and family doctors. In case mobiles are not within reach, they should be able to email or text you on some other platform. Kids above 10 need to know where the house keys are kept and understand locking systems. 16- to 18-year-olds should have a license to drive a two-wheeler. All of these can be life savers.  

Train kids to keep cool  
This is easier said than done, but it's necessary to keep calm. Panic, gossip, trying to think of multiple options can cost a life since they introduce delay. Give your kids age-specific information on what emergencies are: what to do if they detect a fire, if they find you unwell, if they get hurt or suddenly sick, if they get lost or stuck in a downpour. Tell them, irrespective of age, that panic only worsens matters. Kids have naturally strong survival instincts, you need to hone that.