How mom kept us safe in the car
Editor’s note: I wrote something similar to this 6 years ago as a tribute to my mom as we head into Mother’s Day. It doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day to appreciate your mom. It can be every day. I thought I would share my thoughts, even though my mom is now with us in spirit.
Growing up as the middle child of 3 kids, I appreciated my mom very much. She was always there for us; whether we needed a hug, an ear to listen to us, giving us encouragement or to discipline any of us even though I never always agreed with her. Okay, deep down I knew she was right. Although my mom never got a driver’s license, she always ensured we were safe while riding as passengers in the family vehicle.
During our many family vacations together, mom always ensured the car was packed properly before we left. She knew the station wagon had to be packed a certain way to allow for my dad to see out the rear window through the rear-view mirror. Nothing was really able to fly around the seating area in the event of a sudden lane change or harsh braking so as to injure or distract the driver when my mom was there. I guess you could say she was our safety manager. There was something strange about my mom’s knowledge about driving, even though she never sat in the driver’s seat…not once.
Mom knew what could distract our dad from driving safely. Prior to heading out on the trip, she would give us things to do so we wouldn’t bother dad while he drove the car. She came up with unique and fun driving games that kept our attention and made it fun to be a passenger in the car. It all worked well for all 3 of us kids, and that was before any electronics were available to hold our attention. She was a smart lady.
Mom was the original seat harness back in those days. If I was sitting in the middle of the front bench seat and dad had to hit the brakes hard, I somehow knew my mom would throw her arm across my chest to help hold me in place, at the same time calling out my dad’s name. I’m not sure dad liked her calling his name out, but I appreciated my mom as my secondary restraint system. She also taught me never to trust that another driver was going to stop at a red light or stop signs. She gave me some solid driving advice. Again, thanks mom.
As the years continued, you could always count on my mom paying attention in the passenger seat to the driving environment. When I got my driver’s license, she was proud of my accomplishment and I enjoyed taking my mom places. Well, most times. She also enjoyed having her grandchildren do the same with her. She seemed to know what a safe, smart driver does. When all 5 of us were all in the vehicle together, regardless of the length of the trip, mom seemed to be in charge of what was going on. Dad thought he was, but it was really mom. Thanks mom. Just don’t tell dad.