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Hamlet has a new video, one that came with a toy fire truck he got. Part of the "Little Hard Hats" series, the video shows all the different jobs of firefighters: water rescues, vehicle crashes, and of course, fully involved fires. Some of the incidents look staged, but others look real; the cameras stay off the accident victim, though they show the many tools and techniques used to rescue him.

Although these videos are rated for ages 3 and up, I wonder what's going through Hamlet's mind when he sees the car crash, the house fire. He did get upset at seeing the crash victim transported in an ambulance, and it took quite a bit of reassurance to calm him--including a reminder of how the paramedics helped his Mama and baby brother.

Still, I wonder: how do you stay positive about education like this? "Don't be afraid of a firefighter in an oxygen mask"--even though the only time you're likely to see him is when you're in a fire. Great! Or, might Hamlet wonder if our car will be in a crash? If he or we would be hurt? He doesn't always say. He's more likely to act out.

Public safety has been a big part of my life for many years, and it would be an affront to my ancestors (at the very least) if I failed to teach my boys about fire and personal safety. My hope is that we can simply continue to expose him to public safety personnel in positive ways: to bring him to the fire station where his brother was born (they love to see us anyway), to Fire Prevention Week activities, to Firefighter Fridays at the nearby children's museum--and save the more intense education for when he's older.