I took Keep and Dare with me to the Apple store the other day to hand off my macbook (it's fixed now and waiting for me to pick it up tomorrow, yay!) and we had to take the interstate and several other high-volume streets to get there. At one point, while doing 65 on the interstate, a semi truck pulling a lquid trailer (gas, I'm assuming based on the logo) swerved into my lane enough to scared the peewiddle out of me. I immediately braked our vehicle and checked the lane beside me for clearance before swiftly abandoning my lane for the one next over.
My hands trembled, cold prickly sweat beaded in my armpits, and my breath began to rasp in and out of my chest in hard adreneline filled gasps. Although our vehicle is no mini-cooper, it's definitely not armored enough to withstand being bulldozed by an 18 wheeler. Seconds passed as we throttled along the interstate in our new lane.
In the backseat, Dare continued to babble his toddler language. Keep, her head buried in the book she's currently devouring (She's deep into this year's Golden Sower nominees) was oblivious to the near miss. I cast my gaze into the rearview and found myself even more shaken than before. My precious children, 2 of my 3, so close to catastrophe and they didn't even realize it.
Our children trust us with their lives a hundred thousand times over the course of their childhood. Without hesitation they believe we will protect them from any and all harm. It's a heavy obligation, and definitely one I never contemplated before I became a mother. I worried about plenty of things back then, but it never hit me so hard as it did the other day just how awesome of a duty we have as mothers (and fathers!).
Stopping by from This for That! GFC follower.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of weight on our shoulders just driving to the store these days. Car accidents freak me out. My son and DH had a bad one a few months ago. It led to my current giveaway on my blog for SeatSnugs. Hope you can stop by.