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Monday, March 17, 2008
Well, that was certainly an adventure.
9:33 PM | 
Posted by
Christine
On our way home from A's guitar lesson tonight, we witnessed a car accident. A girl in a little red cavalier turned in front of a guy in a big Dodge Ram pickup (hauling a trailer, no less), and the two smashed right in front of us.
We stopped, and I let her use my phone to call her mom. I also made sure she didn't get back into her car, because the gas tank was slowly emptying into the middle of the road. I felt like such an adult - telling her that her parents were going to be more understanding that she thought, and introducing her to the firemen that showed up a few minutes later (the Fire Protection District is a client of mine, so I know a few of the guys). I remembered what it's like to be in that situation, and felt really bad for her.
As I got back into the car, A said, "Well, that was certainly an adventure. I have never seen anything like that before! I'll never forget this. I'm just glad you didn't blow up! Did you see that? The gas was leaking right towards the curb, approaching the gas pumps! What do you think would have happened if that had caught on fire? We'd all be burnt to crisps!"
At which point I felt like a pretty big heel. There were others there that could have stopped and stood with her, but I parked at the BP and ordered my kid to stay in the car, where he watched as a steaming, busted-up car's gas tank leaked out all over the road in front of me...and toward him. Probably not my most shining moment as a parent.
I guess sometimes instinct doesn't always lead us to do what's best for our kids. As he went to bed tonight, he said to me, "I'm really glad you're safe. It so would have sucked if you'd have blown up like Ricky's mom!"
I just shook my head and kissed him goodnight. I didn't know quite what to say. Lucky for me he has a sense of humor. Among other things.
*sigh*
We stopped, and I let her use my phone to call her mom. I also made sure she didn't get back into her car, because the gas tank was slowly emptying into the middle of the road. I felt like such an adult - telling her that her parents were going to be more understanding that she thought, and introducing her to the firemen that showed up a few minutes later (the Fire Protection District is a client of mine, so I know a few of the guys). I remembered what it's like to be in that situation, and felt really bad for her.
As I got back into the car, A said, "Well, that was certainly an adventure. I have never seen anything like that before! I'll never forget this. I'm just glad you didn't blow up! Did you see that? The gas was leaking right towards the curb, approaching the gas pumps! What do you think would have happened if that had caught on fire? We'd all be burnt to crisps!"
At which point I felt like a pretty big heel. There were others there that could have stopped and stood with her, but I parked at the BP and ordered my kid to stay in the car, where he watched as a steaming, busted-up car's gas tank leaked out all over the road in front of me...and toward him. Probably not my most shining moment as a parent.
I guess sometimes instinct doesn't always lead us to do what's best for our kids. As he went to bed tonight, he said to me, "I'm really glad you're safe. It so would have sucked if you'd have blown up like Ricky's mom!"
I just shook my head and kissed him goodnight. I didn't know quite what to say. Lucky for me he has a sense of humor. Among other things.
*sigh*
3 comments:
I'm glad you didn't blow up too. Does that oral willing of the new shoes/boots/bag thing still apply though?
You did what any person would have naturally done - you kept your child away from the actual point of the accident. This isn't a "no one could have anticipated the breach of the levees" moment; the direction of the gas was random chance.
And did your son make a Better Off Dead reference? Now I know with 100% certainty you've been a good mother.
WF
A sense of humor and a knowledge of obscure 80's comedies. That's from "Better Of Dead" with John Cusack, Clever!