Family Life...Lessons

I bet you think I am gonna give some high falutin, feelly touchy advice on the lessons family share with each other. Nope, not this time. I'm going to give you a family life, lesson, not a family life lesson. OK so recently my hubby and I are enjoying our coffee and newspaper when out of the blue I hear a rush of water in the kitchen that sounded like we lived at Niagara Falls. I run into the kitchen and see cascades of water coming from multiple areas of the ceiling, and ceiling tiling falling at my feet. HONEYYYYY, I scream, not having any idea what this is, and what is happening. My knight in shining armor peeks in the kitchen and bolts for the basement door. Seconds later, silence, the water shut off at it's source...whereever that is.
Apparently because of a really cold morning, the water pipes over the kitchen had burst. As we waited for the plumber to come, we both listed all our thank gods. Thank god we were home, or otherwise, that water would have completely flooded our house with no one to witness it's ferocity. Thank god my husband is a contractor, and knew exactly what had happened, and knew exactly where the water shut off was. I on the hand, was the hysterical woman with no idea what to do. It got me thinking about how ignorant I am of how things work in my house. Had I been alone, well Noah's Arc here I come.
How about you? How about your teenagers who are often home alone? Do you, do they know where the fuse box is should the lights go out due to a blown fuse? Would you or teens know where to shut off water should something like a burst pipe happen at your house? When my plumber came, I asked him, what one would do if this happened and you didn't have a contractor husband to save you. His suggestion..call the fire department. Honestly, I don't think I ever would have thought of that.
So here is my family life, lesson. Take a tour of your house with your teens, with a tour guide if you need one. My husband just took me on one. I now know where the water shut off is, the fuse box and other electrical points of interest. Someday you or your kids might be home when something happens that you and they are completely unprepared for. Give yourself and your teens that feeling of confidence that you can handle a crisis like this. It can happen to anyone...just ask me. Remember, knowledge is power!
Also while you're at it, do your kids know how to pay a bill, make a drs. appointment, take the T, figure out how to get somewhere that is not in their town or neighborhood, manage money, and the list goes on. All kids know how to take out the trash and put a dish in the dishwasher, they just don't like to do it. But letting Mommy and Daddy do all the managing of their lives will leave them very unprepared for the future. My advice, skip the dishwasher, and focus on helping them to be independent, confident adults!