11.04.2012

Voice of the Inner Child

Recently, I have been made acutely aware of the ridiculous nature of other drivers. Now, don't get me wrong. I am no perfect angel here. I tend to go heavy on the gas....but I don't text while driving and try to stay off my phone in general. I try to remember my children are learning from me and paying attention to the traffic rules (which they constantly question me about) and they see whether I model car safety, or not. And so I do the best I can.

But lately, well, I saw one woman reading a magazine while driving ON THE HIGHWAY. A few cars later I glanced into the cab of a truck to see the driver with a huge sandwich in one hand and watching something on his phone with the other....I am not sure how he was steering actually. (Yes, I know you can use your knees, but driving a huge truck? Going 65?)

And then a few days ago I was cut off by a man in the preschool parking lot and about two minutes later he cut me off again down the road. No more than ten minutes had gone by when yet another driver (also watching his phone) ran a red light in front of me and the other lane of cars turning left on our green light.

Seriously, it is a dangerous world out there. I keep telling Kurt, if ever we find ourselves with too much money, I may just start ramming into people just to prove a point or two. You know, not if it would jeopardize anyones safety but seriously. Maybe I need to consider joining the police force.

At any rate, today was the final straw and I played the role of Graceful, Like a Camel.....or perhaps it would be Graceful, Like a Pit Bull.

I had the four little ones in the car as we were trying to leave Aidan's swim meet. The parking lot was so full that people had parked in all sorts of random places leaving only one path to exit. As I was nearing the front of the building, toward the latter part of the loop, the car in front of me stopped and the driver got out. She began to unload the back of her vehicle and then completely left her car blocking the only way out. Had she pulled over maybe three more inches, the rest of us could have gotten past. Instead, there we were, sitting, waiting. The line got longer and longer, probably ten cars or more back.

"I wonder if I should just jump in her car and move it over," I said aloud.

"No Mommy, they might think you are stealing it," Lilly told me.

"Yeah, and you might get arrested," Madeline chimed in. (Does it count as partly my voice of wisdom if it is my children who say it????)

Five or ten minutes went by when she finally came out to gather more things. I rolled down my window.

"Excuse me, could you please move up and over about three inches so the rest of us can get by?" I asked, as politely as possible.

"No, you'll just have to wait," she said.

"Really? How very rude of you!" I said, completely losing my patience. She looked at me as if I had slapped her in the face (Minnesota is not known for people saying what they actually think.)

"I am dropping off food for the meet," she said, glaring.

"While blocking all the traffic," I replied. "It's just rude." (No, the irony of me acting rudely by calling her rude is not completely lost on me.)

"Well, I am getting ready to leave now," she said, closing her hatchback.

"Still rude!" I said, rolling up my window, leaving Wisdom and her posse in stunned silence.

As she was driving out of the lot, I couldn't resist offering a little reminder honk.

Point Bratty Inner Child.

(I told you it wasn't over!)

Oh, and kids? Do as I say, not as I do!


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