A Boatswain’s Pipe
My daughter, KarenKool, recently wrote in her blog about getting people [grown-ups and children] to meet others Half-Way. Sounded reasonable to me. Being a seasoned parent, I know that kids will tune us out, especially if they think they’re being nagged repeatedly about doing chores and sharing the load at home. So, I asked myself, how could I get their attention – short of inflicting physical/vocal abuse on them? HA-HA, the answer came to me in church on Sunday.
A lady friend, Sandy, approached me after the service and said, “Hey Russ, weren’t you in the Navy?” I said, “yep – I was in the surface fleet and spent a lot of time in the Med.” She said that she was a Chief Boatswain’s Mate and also served in the 6th Fleet, working for an Admiral. Well, I mused it over on the way home with one thought leading to another about the duties of the Bos’n. That’s when I remembered that on board ships, the Duty Boatswain Mate ‘pipes’ specific ‘calls’ for certain events during his [her] watch on-deck, for example, receiving an Admiral on-board and departing the ship. The Duty Bos’n wears a Boatswain’s Pipe, attached to a fancy lanyard, around his neck when he’s on duty. His pipe produces a shrill high-pitched sound that can be heard in a radius of a quarter mile. It’s an effective means to get someone’s attention.
So, here’s what I would suggest to KarenKool - to effectively get kids’ attention:
1. Acquire a Pipe. Keep it around her neck or in a safe place.
2. Develop a distinctive ‘call’ for each family member, including Noah.
3. Instruct each member to learn his/her ‘call’ and to respond immediately -
when called.
4. Remind each family member that the ‘call’ can be used as an alarm clock –
when necessary.
Who knows, the Boatswain’s Pipe might even become an effective tool at various school events. I wonder what would happen if a ‘call’ was piped into a cell phone?
[See] www.chesapeakepicaroons.org/Boatswain_pipe.BoatswainsPipe.html
