Two things happened this week that made me realise how vulnerable I am to be alone with two young children most of the time. On Monday I suddenly felt very unwell and could barely stand up. Hubby was at work and my family was at faraway Jurong. Though my in-laws were nearby (four bus stops away), I was too sick to be thinking clearly and did not think of calling them for help at all.
This morning I dropped a glass bottle (soy sauce) and there were glass shreds all over the kitchen floor. Didi was sitting less than 20cm away and Jiale was just a little farther away. Though the cleaning auntie was around, she was washing the bedroom toilet and did not know there was a 'disaster'. My feet were very wet because of the soy sauce and Didi was splattered with some too. I carried him a distance away and told the boys to stay away from the kitchen. Luckily Jiale was around to sorta help take care of Didi. He was too young to coax Didi away from the kitchen, so he dragged him away amidst babyish complaints. Jiale also 'tolerated' Didi's interruptions more and did not say 'no' to him as much as usual, so the two boys were able to play together in the living room for quite some time while I cleaned up. There is now a small dent in the floor (homogeneous tiles!), so I am really glad the bottle didn't land on Didi's head >.<
It took me a long time to pick up the glass shreds and I was really thankful for Jiale's help. But it also got me thinking - what if the boys had not been so cooperative? What if a more serious accident had happened? What if I was the one who needed help? (especially given that I have been feeling light-headed recently and might faint anytime)
I have decided to start doing the following:
1. Teach Jiale how to call Daddy on the phone. Once he gets the hang of it, I shall teach him to call my sister and my in-laws as well. The con is that he might start making 'nuisance deep-breathing-no-talking' type of calls to them. Oh well, safety first. I'm sure they won't mind anyway.
2. Ask Hubby to call me at regular intervals, at least twice a day. Hope he can remember...
3. Leave the main door open whenever I am home alone with the boys. So that Jiale can ask for help when the neighbours walk by. Or if I faint in the living room, the neighbours will be able to see me.
That's all I can think of for now. Suggestions are most welcome!
Zz, this is really funny, in a scary way!
ReplyDeleteActually I thought about this too, although I'm a working mom. But I do spend a lot of time alone with the kids too when I'm working from home etc. I can't imagine my neighbours seeing me lying on the floor, already unconscious. I really hope that doesn't happen.
But I think life is also not so unkind lah. You probably will have a bit of dizzy spells first, then quickly activate your backup people.
When I felt very unwell, it took me days before i realised i had to be hospitalised. So thank God, i managed to pack my kids to my mom's place that night, coz after that I didn't return home. Had to stay in hospital instead :/
am i too morbid.. but i was actually thinking of something like, broke the glass bottle, and then i giddy and collapse on the glass shreds and lie there unconscious &/or bleeding away... Or climb on a chair/ladder to take something then fall down and lie there unconsious &/or bleeding away.. Or slip in the bathroom and hit my head and lie there unconscious/bleeding away... : /
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