When a former teaching colleague got married, she shared with us in the teachers' lounge that she had to make sure she had a midnight snack ready for her new husband. Some kind of cake or pie. AND she had to wake him if he didn't get up to eat it.
Actually, it was a 2:00 a.m. snack For his whole life, his mother had woken him to eat at 2:00 a.m. She was afraid he would starve to death if she didn't! Sure, it seemed outlandish to the rest of us. But that fear was very real to his mother.
I also have a fear.
When I was getting ready to leave Country Mart on Saturday afternoon, I started T-Hoe and checked my mirrors. Turned and looked out the back window. Looked out both side windows. Then did it all over again.
YIKES! Near the front door, already on the sidewalk, about five cars away, was a young boy. Sheesh! What if he'd been behind me? As I looked out both side windows again, I saw a grandma-woman leading a young girl by the arm, joining the 4-year-old size boy.
No, they had not been in my direct path for backing out. But it made me extra cautious. That's always been my fear: backing over a young child!
When my boys were the age to be dropped off at Elementia, I would pull up to the end of the sidewalk and let them out. Sometimes they had to hurry, because it was the drop-off lane.
"Mom. You can park up there by the ramp, and we'll have time to get our stuff."
"No. Have it ready when I stop. I am NOT going to try and back up where kids are being dropped off!"
That's when T-Hoe was young, and still had his back-up beeper to warn me of anything in my path. Kids dart. You may not know until it's too late. I will remain ever-vigilant when backing. Even out of my own garage. You never know when Farmer H might wander over to "help" me...
8 comments:
I can understand that fear. My dad had an incident, while driving in a residential area and a ball rolled out into the street. Just in that second that he registered what it was, he slammed on his brakes and a young boy was saved from being killed that day. My dad was so frightened by the possibility, that he put the car in park and grabbed that kid and gave him a good shake before giving him a big hug and telling him how important it was to watch for traffic. Today, some idiot parent would have sued him for touching his kid, but my dad was so relieved and being a teacher of young kids, had to impart a bit of knowledge that hopefully spared that boy from any other close calls. We hear of children being run over as parents plow their driveways or on farms with farm equipment. It happens far too often, when it is something that can be prevented. Ranee (MN)
I worry more about backing over a dog or cat, or even a turtle! Am I evil for not adding children?
Rae,
I've not had such a frightening incident. The closest was earlier this year when I was driving on a wide street by a soccer park, at 20 mph. A mom with a stroller and a young boy and girl was approaching on the opposite side of that wide street. No sidewalks, but four cars could have easily fit. Something told me to BEWARE, even though the situation seemed perfectly safe. The little boy dropped his ball, and it rolled across and down the street, right in T-Hoe's path, and the boy started chasing it. I stopped immediately, while the woman was trying to figure out what to do with the stroller and the smaller girl. Thank the Gummi Mary, there was no traffic behind me, or rounding the curve ahead. The lady was able to push the stroller over and grab the boy, with the little girl hanging onto the stroller. We both sighed with relief, and gave each other the "mom" nod.
Kathy,
No more evil that I, perhaps, who does not worry about dogs and cats and turtles! I figure they know enough to get out of the way (except maybe the turtles), and if they don't, their not-knowing genes won't be passed on.
Perhaps wrong of me to say it here, but kids darting into the street is the fault of parents who DIDN'T teach them NOT to. One of the first things my kids learned was DO NOT STEP OFF THE FOOTPATH!! I was so strict. I even had my husband drive over a ball to show them what could happen. They also learned that if daddy was going anywhere in the car, they all had to be standing behind the gate to the backyard or on the front porch, because in those days there weren't backing-up beepers on cars. I eased up on the rules as they got older and knew to look after themselves.
River,
I never disciplined my kids in public, except for the time toddler Genius, always the adventurer, stepped out ahead of me in the parking lot. I caught him by the arm and gave him a couple of butt-swats. I think he was more scared by the sheer terror in my eyes that by the public spanking.
At least the new cars have a backup camera so you can see what's behind you. Even short little toddlers. Not much help when they dart in quickly, though.
I never disciplined in public either. the kids were reminded of behaviour rules before we left the house.
River,
Growing up on a gravel road that was a tenth of a mile from the Mansion, street-darting was kind of an abstract idea for my wee ones to grasp. Not a lot of trips to town for them, save getting out in the daycare lady's off-street parking area.
Post a Comment