FIRE!!

The boys have a favorite park near our house, and I understand why they love it so much.  It’s big and shady and has this enormous playscape filled with bridges, ladders, slides, towers, climbing walls – things to fuel the imaginations of energetic kids.  There are two sections – one built on a slighty smaller scale for younger children.  It’s a perfect spot for hours of outdoor fun.

I can’t take them there if I’m the only adult present.   There is no way for me to even attempt to keep even one eye on each of them.  It’s riddled with blind spots, and the two sections are separated by a wide sidewalk and splash park area (which thankfully has an on/off switch kids can’t reach!).  Of course, the boys don’t stick together – they immediately run in different directions and my efforts to get them to play at least in the same vicinity are wasted. 

They’ve learned that we only go to what they call the Flag Park (there’s a giant American flag flying nearby) when Daddy is available to go with us. 

We were at this park on a busy Sunday afternoon recently.  The park was packed with kids of all ages, running and shouting, and even with an adult-to-child ratio of 1:1, it was tough keeping eyes on them.  Then, they started prentending to be firemen, and suddenly, everyone in the park knew where my kids were.

“Fire! FIRE!” the Bean screamed as he ran by.  The Little One was hot on his heels, repeating the refrain.

“Get the hose!  Weee ooooo!  Weee oooo!” 

“Pssssshhhhhhhhhhh!  Spray the water on the fire!  Quick!”

“Mommy, don’t sit there – your butt is on fire!  Now you have to go in the ambs [ambulance].”

“Daddy, help me get down the fire pole!  Hurry! HURRY!”

“FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!!”

The boys could be heard circling the playscape, shouting about the imaginary fire, firetrucks, ambulances, and making siren sounds.  It was incredible to watch their imaginations literally exploding with vivid imagery.  

Other kids were looking a little alarmed, particularly when they were told by our exuberant fireman that they were standing in fires.  Every time one of them shouted “Fire,” at least one parent would look up and scan the playground apprehensively.

Is it still illegal to shout “Fire” in a crowded theater when there isn’t really a fire?