Life lessons. This may be off topic but as a mommy I want to share my frightening experience to encourage you to prepare for any similar situation that may come your way.

First, I must explain, we are campers, RV Campers. We go out many times a year, we are the family that camps our way through summers with our closest friends and family.

The Good Year Blimp flying over our Forest River!

My son Oliver (8) and Charlotte (5) are campfire comfortable. They know to walk around the fire pit, they do not play by the fire, and they are careful (as careful as kids can be) while fire roasting marshmallows on death sticks, to make smores. My son Oliver, I would even consider fire safe but that doesn’t prevent accidents.

We were having a lazy afternoon, and the evening was cooling off with the rare marine layer summer appearance. It was campfire weather, so Neil, my husband, pulled out the firepit and started a fire. The kids where already asking for smores for desserts, which I happily agreed to. Smores were done and the sugar rush was still being worked off. Oliver had just finished his shower and come down to tell us the bathroom was ready for Charlotte. The kids continued to work off their sugar highs, so Neil and I chilled a little longer near the fire. Until, the terrifying scream that Oliver let out as he pulled his knees off the firepit. I will spare the gory details, as that is not the point of this story. When you or a family member get burnt, there is a right and wrong way to handle the area. I encourage you to talk to your doctors and get this knowledge from a trusted source. It happened in just a second. We are lucky it happened in our home and not when we were camping. I am grateful for learning how to handle 1^st  and 2^nd degree burns. I now know what the danger zones and signs of infection are. Having the knowledge of how to properly care for a burn from the first moment it happens is invaluable.

Side Note: I have the best husband, especially in the midst of an emergency. I am not good when my kids get hurt, when anyone gets hurt really, I panic. Neil takes off his Neil glasses and becomes Super Dad. He ends up having to take care of my baby’s and me. Neil took Oliver, to all the doctors and what he learned and in turn taught me was eye opening.

Here are a few lessons I did learn about lighting a controlled fire in your backyard, that may be handy. Although they are obvious now, I didn’t even think about them due to my faith in my kids’ knowledge of fire.

Oliver danced right into the firepit, wearing only his rain boots and boxers, remember he just came down from the shower? Always make sure your loved ones are wearing clothes and closed toe shoes when around fire. Thank goodness Oliver had protective footwear on.

When you light a fire, make sure you put chairs or some type of safety boarder around it. Our fire pit was in the middle of our normal play area for the kids, with no chairs around it. Neil and I were sitting off to the side of the fire, when we should have repositioned our chairs around the fire.

At least once a year put a reminder on your phone to watch a CPR video. I do this with my husband, when the reminder goes off we watch a quick 5-minute video on YouTube. This is just best practice, you never know when you will need this life saving skill.

If this blog has done nothing but inspired you to find out how to treat burns, my job is done. I appreciate you reading this, and learning how to keep your precious cargo a bit safer.

Be Deliberate

XO

 Happy to report Oliver is ok, and his burns are healing nicely. Below you can see his little wrapped knees headed back to school!