If The Snake's On Fire

Pam: When Ross was little we lived in a house in a new neighborhood in the suburbs. It had a wonderful big back yard that backed up to a sixty-acre community park that had been cleared out of the natural brush of the area. I really enjoyed long walks with my little guy along the creek that ran through the park.

Ann: It sounds really nice.

Pam: It was. But our paradise was shattered when we came home one day to a notice on the door warning us that more than one rattlesnake had been discovered in the park! It said we should carefully check our back yard each day before letting out the dogs or children!

Ann: Wow. That’s scary!

Pam: I was petrified. I’d check the yard vigilantly before I’d send out our dog and then watch him check the yard before I’d let Ross go out into the yard and play. But I was still really frightened at the thought that a snake might crawl into the yard while he played.

Ann: As scared as you were, you can only do so much. Ross was pretty little then, huh? Did you try to talk to him about it without scaring him?

Pam: Yeah I did. We chatted about snakes and how some were dangerous and he assured me he knew all about them already. So I asked him if he knew what to do if he ever saw a snake.

Ann: Did he?

Pam: Well, his eyes lit up at the question and he said, “Mommy I’ve learned a lot about emergencies and I know just what to do.”

Feeling a little relieved I told him that was wonderful and asked him to tell me what he should do if he ever saw a snake. And he said, “That one’s easy….stop, drop, and roll!”