Tiger on the Street.

In school, the children practice lockdown drills. The teachers tell them to imagine that a tiger has escaped from the zoo and is in the school. They are taught to hide in class with curtains drawn and doors closed until it is safe. 

There was a domestic violence situation in one of our neighbours' homes today, and we were involved in helping one of the parties involved.

Our children were playing outside with friends at the time and we had to get all the children back home to safety when the situation looked like it was escalating. The police were called and they resolved the situation promptly.

The children and I were a little shaken. They were worried because they didn't know what had happened. They'd only heard shouting and then I'd called them inside. They relaxed when I explained the situation to them and told them they were safe. 

I'm glad the husband was home at the time, and that one of our neighbours was there to help and support. He was also kind enough to check in on us to see how we were doing after.

The house with the DV situation isn't on our street but one of the children there often plays with our children. We know they have problems but I think the general vibe on our street has been to support and keep an eye out when we can.

It was a sobering experience to witness and know that such realities exist within an arm's reach of our own.