The Talk

A few weekends back, we took a family road trip to “The Cities” (aka Minneapolis/St. Paul.)  In the car, I thought it was the perfect time to have “the talk” with our 17, 16 and 13 year old.  Now, before you stop reading and think “This just got weird!”, know that I am talking about the ALICE training they have been receiving in schools.  ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. 

 

In schools today, they are talking about how to act, react and defend in the wake of an active shooter or threat in the area.  We talked about best practices they have learned and heard about.  I talked about some of the things I have been watching and exploring in my job and we talked about our family plan if something like this ever came up. 

 

While I hate the thought of anyone I love having to deal with these scenarios, I think it’s important to arm people we love with the tools to make the right decisions when needed.  I encourage travelers, security managers, employees, employers, parents and friends to have those “what if” conversations.  I know I learned from my kids and I think they learned something from me.  I also hope, that in my quest to keep going, I, nor anyone I know, has to use the skills we discussed.