I took two days of vacation time last week, to spend some quality time with my youngest nephew, Edwin. Edwin is 14 months old. He is energetic, precocious and quick to smile. He is learning to run, able to climb and has the sweetest belly laugh you’ve ever heard (though as his aunt, I might be a bit biased.) I won’t even try to describe how cute he is – you can see that for yourself!
We spent some of our time together at the grocery store, securing supplies to make dinner for his Oma (my Mom), Mom (my sister), Dad (my brother in law), and Big Sister (my niece). I had forgotten to bring a toy to keep him occupied while we shopped, so I gave him a box of frozen vegetables to play with - I figured he couldn’t hurt them! The next thing I knew, he had a mouthful of cardboard. Turns out he is more adept using his new teeth than I gave him credit for!
I acted quickly and did a finger sweep, removing all of the cardboard from his mouth before he could choke. While he wasn’t happy with this development (he bit me!), I was glad he was OK and hadn’t swallowed the cardboard. I was also glad that I am trained in
Infant/Child CPR and First Aid and knew what to do. Ever since my babysitting days, I have kept my CPR/First Aid Certification current. It’s one way that I stay prepared.
Our next stop was the Red Cross Office. We had a great visit - Edwin got a new t-shirt from Volunteer Resources and even a Red Cross teddy bear from Wanda. It was fun to share my nephew with my Red Cross family. And fun to share my Red Cross family with my nephew.
As we ended our visit and headed down the hallway, Edwin’s tiny hand wrapped around my fingers (and me wrapped around his finger), I realized the truth in his t-shirt. He is a future volunteer – maybe he will be a lifeguard, or a member of Club Red or maybe he will be a disaster volunteer. Whatever role he chooses, in about 15 years, he will probably be a Red Crosser. It runs in the family. I’ll do my best to train him well.
Becky White is the disaster services specialist for the St. Louis Area Chapter.