One of the best things in life is taking the grandchildren out for ice cream. Even during a war, this is a treat for everyone involved. Perhaps this is especially true during a war.
This week, my daughter and son-in-law brought my four grandsons for a visit, partly as a fun outing and partly as a respite for themselves. Since the war erupted with Iran, all school and preschool programs have been canceled, leaving parents of young children needing to keep all the kids occupied without pulling their hair out. At the same time, they also need to keep them safe and close to home for the frantic run to the bomb shelter, which has been happening 2-3 times a day.
My kids have been putting their boys to sleep in the spare room, which doubles as a bomb shelter, to avoid having to move them all in 90 seconds and risk waking them up to the jarring sound of the siren.
Moving little children to the bomb shelter is even more complicated when one of the spouses has been called up for reserves. This was fairly common for the first year of the war but has become even more common in the past week. Imagine being a young mother dealing with 3-4 small kids while your husband is away in reserves. Imagine moving the kids into the shelter one by one. And then having to get them back to sleep after the emergency is over.
Now, imagine doing this during the day when they are awake, as happened again yesterday. The trip to the bomb shelter means comforting and calming them, and then keeping them occupied, sometimes for over an hour.
Whether this is one or two parents with little kids, or empty nesters like ourselves, we are all operating on no little sleep, bleary-eyed from repeated nights interrupted by multiple sirens. Last night, the siren came blessedly late at 4:20 AM, giving us a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. The day before, it was at 2:30. Sometimes, we can get back to sleep. Sometimes, not. If you are like me, the siren signals the end of sleep until tomorrow. It is a good thing I am not operating heavy machinery.
So, yesterday, grandson #4 was afternoon napping, making me more than a little envious. It was prime time to take the three older boys for ice cream, giving my daughter and son-in-law a few minutes of quiet. Bleary-eyed or not, it’s always a pleasure to take the kids out and spend some time with them. Also, parenting never ends, and letting your own kids in their 30s have a break is meaningful and important.
On the way out, my daughter said something I had never heard, and never could have imagined her saying. I never would have put these words together in the same sentence. “Make sure you know where the bomb shelter is at the ice cream shop when you’re out with the boys,” the mama-hen reminded.
Nope. I’d never have thought of it. But we’re at war. Iran is firing ballistic missiles with massive warheads directly at our towns and cities. All the casualties in Israel have been civilians. Considering the circumstances, there’s never a better time for ice cream, with whipped cream and sprinkles, and a bomb shelter on top.
There was newly posted signage around the strip mall, identifying where all the bomb shelters were. Just in case. As much as I’d never thought of putting “ice cream” and “bomb shelter” in the same sentence, I was even more shocked to discover that the architect who planned the mall would put a bomb shelter right there in the ice cream shop. But there it was, behind the bright pink walls and shelves of toppings. Just in case.
On the way home, my six-year-old grandson told me about all the different ice cream flavors they have at home. It’s a good parenting strategy to have ice cream on hand, even in the face of missile attacks, perhaps especially so. While I joined them with a scoop of yummy pistachio, I now feel that I need more ice cream on hand.
The grandchildren just left. While treasuring the time spent with them, I was silently praying that they would hurry up and leave. Reports came out that Israel had another significant and apparently successful strike against another Iranian military target. It’s likely that later today, ballistic missiles will light up the sky, sending Israelis to the bomb shelters, and even grandparents treat their grandchildren to ice cream.
While I didn’t want the kids to leave, I did want them at home, in the safety, familiarity, and comfort of their own bomb shelter.
This has become their norm, and ours. The contrast could not be more stark: Israel issues warnings to Iranians living near various military sites to evacuate before striking. The Iranian Islamic regime deliberately fires dozens or hundreds of missiles at a time, targeting homes. Iranians are given ample notice to flee in advance of a military strike. We have seen massive traffic jams with them doing just that.
The Genesis 123 Foundation is sponsoring a series of personal candid briefings, including Q&A, sharing perspectives on life in Israel during this war, and discussing current events from a perspective of what’s going on behind the headlines. For a full list, you can connect at www.Genesis123.co, or register here for the one scheduled for Saturday, June 21.
