Drive Carefully
We all want our children to do well in their lives. I’m no exception. When they’re little they think their parents know everything and are infallible. That’s nice, for as long as it lasts.
Of course, by the time our children have become teenagers they realize that their parents don’t know anything, and they have become infallible. Sic transit gloria.
Since their ability to listen to us parents has been severely compromised by the time they proudly acquire their driver’s license, I limit myself to taking my one last, and most important, shot at helping them to survive.
“Drive carefully.”
I am well known in my family for my repeated admonishment, “Drive carefully.”
I tell my scary and scared driver’s-licensed children, “If you don’t pay attention for half an hour in class, your grade may suffer. But if you don’t pay attention for five seconds while driving, you could be dead. Or paralyzed for life. Or need another car, which I won’t pay for.”
I think they received my message. Most of my children have had minor auto accidents, but I’ve had three myself. Fortunately, everyone has walked away and no one has been seriously injured. Another saying I am known for is, “Things can be repaired or replaced, but people can’t.”
Nowadays I tell myself not only to drive carefully – the statics are that drivers over 65 have more accidents than younger drivers – but also to “walk carefully.” That means that I need to pay attention, and it also means I need to slow down a bit, to minimize the damage if I should trip and fall.
Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer who brought apple trees to many parts of our young country. I may have become the “Johnny Appleseed” of hosts, because whenever anyone leaves for home, whether they are related to me or not, I usually say, “Drive carefully.”
I’m delighted to report that, as far as I know, my message has reverberated through time. I now have four grandchildren of driving age, and their parents are delivering my original message to their own children – “Drive carefully.”
I’m sure there are many other activities, such as slicing tomatoes, which should also be performed carefully, but especially with my children and grandchildren I’d rather stick to a single message, undiluted by embellishments.
All together now: Drive Carefully.
Thanks.
Alan