Revisiting The Invisible Ones

RIDE ALONG CHRONICLES

Today, in honor of Child Safety and Protection Month AND National Family Week, we wanted to revisit a topic we discussed with Monica in Episode 4 that often goes unnoticed when discussing the challenges of living in first responder families. They are the children of first responders; the invisible ones who often hear and see everything first responder couples share including the dark, scary and chaotic parts of this career. These children often experience emotional and physical reactions that go unseen and sometimes untreated for years. We have heard this from some first responder families over the past few years. In addition, we have learned that oftentimes first responders have a difficult time parenting and are blamed for being too protective and strict. However, these children don’t understand and are not explained that it’s likely because of the dangerous world their FR parent experiences everyday. Monica really put this topic into perspective for us. It reminded us all as first responder parents what our children may be experiencing and showed us the importance of ensuring that our children feel emotionally safe and not just physically. So come ride along with us!