Facing the Danger: Keeping Your Family Safe

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My wife, kids, and I strolled through Chicago’s Grant Park on a hot August weekday afternoon as we leisurely made our way back to the hotel. We completed a fun yet exhausting visit to the Shedd Aquarium. The Summer breeze cascaded gently through the vibrantly green leafed trees which provided welcome relief from the intense heat. The two little people of our group attempted to keep pace with the grownups but inevitably began to show signs of fatigue. Our 6 year old son exclaimed “your legs are TWICE the size of mine which means I have to do TWICE THE WORK when I walk with you!” Of course our 4 year old daughter concurred with his assessment and initiated her relentless rallying cry “pick me up Daddy!!” Given that we were less than 10 minutes away from our destination, I encouraged them to soldier on even adding the incentive of a snack of their choice at the hotel food mart. After muttering a few indiscernible replies, they agreed. We crossed Columbus Drive and began to make our way onto the vast Balbo Avenue overpass which crossed over the CTA train tracks. As I looked off into the distance, I could see we were not alone.

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