To say “emergency” in ASL, take the E-hand with your palm facing out and shake it quickly from side to side. You can see a demonstration here: http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/e/emergency.htm.
At home we have fire extinquishers, ipecac syrup, ice packs, CPR certification… But as parents, are we ever truly prepared for emergencies?
For many years I worked as a music therapist in pediatric medical settings. I’ve had young patients in hospice care, others in the operating room, some in rehab care for burns or traumatic brain injury… I thought for sure I was prepared for anything motherhood might throw my way.
Yet when we had to bring each of our children to the emergency room once, my emotions were through the roof. Zeke suffered from croupe at age 3 — it was our first experience with this and he wound up getting 9 hours of albuteral in the ER. He couldn’t breathe, which was really scary. Fortunately, while both our kids have had croupe since that time, we’ve learned that cold air does the trick and no more ER visits have been necessary. At least for that…. Sian followed me out of our apartment at age 4 and his pinky got smashed in the door. We saw the bone–which was also scary! Yet while he was waiting for his x-ray in the ER, he joked with the nurse about his favorite activity at the time– picking his nose! It was not a life threatening emergency which was (needless to say) a tremendous relief. Sian’s humor, however, provided the most relief.
To sign “humor” or “funny” in ASL, take your index and middle fingers from one hand and brush them multiple times on the side of your nose like this: http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/HUMOR.
Children are so resiliant and their character can provide parents with the preparation and relief needed in emergencies…and on a daily basis.