a day in the life of a latvian mom

This afternoon we received a cell broadcast warning on our phones — a message telling people in several regions of Latvia to stay indoors because of a possible drone threat in Latvian airspace. Not war. Not missiles falling around us. But still something frightening enough that schools moved children into safe places inside the buildings (we don’t have expierence) and did not allow them to leave.

And depending on the teachers, the atmosphere in schools was very different. Some children probably stayed calm. Others were terrified. One of my kids called me crying. Completely stressed out. She told me she was afraid she would never see us again. Hearing your child say something like that changes the whole day instantly.

As a parent, you try to stay calm. You explain that this is precautionary. That Latvia is not at war. That NATO is monitoring the situation. That the drone had likely crossed from the Russia–Ukraine war into our airspace. Maybe one drone, maybe several. But still — when your child is crying on the phone from school, logic suddenly becomes very small compared to emotion.

And honestly, I understand why children were scared. Even adults were stressed today.

Final exams in some regions were canceled. Kids were kept indoors. Fighter jets were activated in Baltic airspace. News pages updated every few minutes. And all of this happened on what should have been a completely ordinary school day.

I think what makes this especially unsettling is how close Latvia is to Russia. The war has always felt geographically near, but today it suddenly felt emotionally near too.

It is strange how one warning message can suddenly make children think about death, make parents feel helpless, and make an entire country collectively hold its breath for a few hours.

Everything is quieter again. The danger warning has ended in most regions. But I think many parents will hug their kids a little tighter tonight.

I know I will.

Ilze

P.S. While I’m writing this – all my girls are home safe.