OP-ED
My 2 cents on...
…An Emergency in
a Foreign Land
By Maureen Schuster
In this exclusive series,
our guest columnistsparents weigh in on the
issues that are closest to
their hearts. This month,
a mother shares the
emotional roller coaster
she experienced in her
first week in Singapore
when her son hurt
himself badly.
When my husband and I moved
our three children from US to
Singapore, we imagined all of the
things we would experience – new
cultures, travel, and of course,
delicious food. But, we couldn’t
have planned for what happened in
our first week in Singapore.
In the States, we lived in a spacious
home in the suburbs. In Singapore,
we moved to a high-rise condominium
that was footsteps away from the MRT
station and two shopping malls. They
quickly adjusted to riding the train
and taking cabs, and enjoyed having a
swimming pool and tennis courts just
an elevator ride away.
A week after we arrived, our doorbell
rang and there stood my sons’ first
new friend in Asia, who lived three
floors down from us. My sons were
ecstatic to be invited to go down
to the pool area. However, I was
determined to finish unpacking and
could not go down to supervise, so the
kids promised that they would stay
within the confines of the condo and
reminded me that one of the great
things about moving here was how
safe it is in Singapore. I reluctantly
agreed and they victoriously grabbed
their scooters and set out for adultfree fun.
It’s important to
remain calm in
any emergency,
especially in a
foreign land,
because your
children are
looking at you for
leadership and
guidance.
30
Family & Life • Feb 2014
Fifteen minutes later, the door flung
open and I heard my son, Aaron, crying
in pain. He was holding his mouth as
blood seeped out between his fingers.
Clutched in his fist was what was left
of his new permanent front teeth.
Being a seasoned mother, I was adept