Children Will Often Take Extraordinary Measures To Get Attention

When it comes to using extreme attention getting maneuvers, my son definitely takes the cake. One day, when he was about four, I explained that I would be leaving him in the kitchen for a short time to have a private conversation with his sister upstairs. No more than two or three minutes later, my rather handy voice-activated caller id device announced that the local police department was on the line. I picked up the phone, only to learn that the officer was responding to a 911 call from my very home. I assured him that no one had called the police – I, in fact, hadn’t used the phone all day.

Moments later, as the squad cars pulled in the driveway, I remembered teaching my son about calling 911. I raced downstairs to find him contentedly playing with his blocks, the phone nestled between the legs of his oversized Elmo doll. “Did you call 911?,” I demanded? “It was a 'mergency,” he said. “I missed you.” Needless to say, the officers weren’t too pleased by this, but they at least were kind enough not to book him.