OK - how many of you actually DID the "Duck and Cover Drill" in school?

[murielm99]

145. I did.

I remember doing those in the late fifties in elementary school. I remember talk about bomb shelters when I was little.

I hated duck and cover because we had to bend over when we got under our desks. Girls wore dresses to school in those days, and I was supposed to be careful not to show my underpants. It was embarrassing, and impossible not to show my underpants.

When I was in junior high, I started to get really scared about the bomb. I had a music teacher who helped me deal with those anxieties in a good way. I was supposed to bring back some money for selling World's Finest Chocolate bars, to raise money for music camp. I kept forgetting the money. One day, he yelled at me and said, "Did you think they would drop the bomb overnight, and you would not have to worry about it any more?" I laughed. For some reason, that helped a lot.

However, the Cuban Missile Crisis came up just as I started high school. I went down to our basement and crawl space. I looked around, trying to figure out if my family could survive down there. I wondered if I would ever be old enough to wear lipstick or to date. I worried about my brother, who was only four years old.

No one really helped me deal with these anxieties in a healthy way. The schools, my family, my church and society in general were all unhelpful.

I am glad that my children are all adults. This is an anxious time for everyone.