Through the Eyes of a Child

As I've mentioned in previous posts, the world around us looks much different when viewed through the eyes of a child. A cardboard box isn't just a throwaway container; it's a clubhouse. A bathtub is a lake. And a firehouse? Well, it's just about the coolest place in the world to a curious toddler.

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A few weeks ago, a bunch of us took a field trip to our neighborhood firehouse. In exchange for baked goods, we were given a tour of the building. Also, the kids got to explore the fire trucks. You can image how exciting that was for them! The visit wasn't all fun and games, though. In an effort to familiarize the kids with what their rescuers would look like in the unfortunate event of a fire, one of the firemen donned his full gear - boots, pants, jacket, gloves, hat, air tank, mask, and all. The kids' reaction was... Well, I think it's safe to say that they were a little freaked out.

And in case you can't tell from the crowd reaction shot above, here are close-ups of some of the stunned little faces:

I suppose that to a child, the sight of a giant masked creature with tubes running out of his head would be strange, maybe even a bit frightening. They'd have no idea what this creature could be. A comic book character? A guy in a funny raincoat? A spaceman? Or what about a...

Illustration c/o Stjepan Sejic.
Ok, maybe that's taking it a bit far. But you get the point.


Luckily, kids have the memories of goldfish, and it was no time before they were happily running around, inspecting the fire hoses, playing with empty boots, and climbing on trucks. Benjamin even got a lift from one of the firemen, Leon. And when I say "lift," I mean, "LIFT." Look at how tall this guy is!

Maybe I'll give Fireman Leon a call when it comes time for me to dust my chandeliers- Or clean the outside of my fourth-story windows!