Beware and Be Aware

Kids and traffic: Two things that, together, make a mom's heart skip a beat.

No matter how many times we tell our kids to be careful, there's always that youthful element of "It won't happen to me." Children just don't get it ... but then again, why should they? They don't have the life experience to understand that bad things can and do happen, and that things can go wrong in the blink of an eye.

That's what happened to my friend's son yesterday.

In case you didn't happen to be home during the daytime, the Anthem Skate Park was completely packed. School was out for a teacher work day, and word got out like lightening through the elementary school grapevine that non-motorized scooters are allowed at the skate park for a one-year trial period. Every kid who's gotten a scooter under the tree or for his birthday over the last five years was out there giving it a whirl.

Confidence can be pretty high when you're 11 and losing a tooth is the most traumatic thing that's happened in your life. My friend's son whizzed his way through the parking lot, his grandparents following nearby. His grandmother had been giving him The Safety Talk just a few minutes before, but things can happen, and they can happen fast.

A combination of overassurance, the invisible nature of small boys weaving through parked cars, and the bulk of a large vehicle coming through made for a bad mix. Both the boy and the driver of the truck that struck him tried to stop in time, but they did collide. I'm not a police officer or an insurance adjuster, so I'm not going to even try to assign fault, but there were some very raw nerves, an ambulance ride and stitches involved. Luckily, no bones were broken, but a few inches this way or that could have resulted in a much different outcome.

What resulted, too, was a lesson for the dozens (hundreds?) of kids and adults who gathered around as medics stopped the bleeding and deputies took their reports. Bad things can happen, and there aren't bells and whistles that go off to warn us when accidents are going to happen.

For most of the kids, this was the first dose of the reality that all of those things mom and dad warn about really can happen. For the adults, it was a reminder that we have to always be watching out for our kids, because there are things we know and understand that they simply don't have the experience to fully comprehend. I think I can speak for everyone in saying that we're all very lucky that these lessons were learned without a worse outcome.

So for the kids, beware. You're not invincible. Accidents happen, and they can happen to you. And when they do, it's not just your body that gets hurt. Everyone ... your parents, your friends, your teachers, and even the firefighters and police officers who come to help ... is affected.

And for the adults, be aware. It really does take a village to raise a child. Life can change in an instant, but it doesn't have to.