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When my son was little, I spent an inordinate amount of time telling him that he musn't get too close to our gas range, because fire was hot and could give him a painful burn. Being one to constantly test limits, he would often creep his hand toward the burner, earning yet another lecture on the dangers of fire and burning oneself. Eventually he learned, and steered clear of the stove.

I also was able instill in him a deep respect for power tools - particularly drills - after constantly warning him about their potential dangers.

So when preschool time rolled around, it really shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that when his teacher announced "class, in 20 minutes we are going to have a Fire Drill," he had a complete nervous breakdown before she could get to the explanation of what a fire drill entailed.

Apparently he imagined some sort of flame throwing power tool of death that was going to "burn them all".