Had one of the most terrifying moment of my 3-plus year parenting career yesterday. And I'm not talking "my son likes to paint his toenails green" kind of terrifying. I'm not even talking "ask him who his favorite team is only to hear him say "the Ducks!" terrifying.
I picked Jonah up from daycare yesterday, just like I've done every day for what seems like forever at this point. It was raining pretty hard yesterday, so we had a hurried rush to the car. For whatever reason, Jonah feels like he can't walk/run in the rain and must be carried. No matter how many times I explain to him that his legs work just the same in rain as they do in the sun, he always insists I carry him to the car - after I help him put the hood up on his jacket, of course. Can't have the dirty-blond locks getting wet now.
So there I am carrying Jonah, a box of Valentines related art projects he had worked on that day, a sippy cup, his blanket, and his new Hot Wheels motorcycle toy that he had to show off to the other kids in a downpour. Opening the door to the car was a challenge, but achievable for a veteran father like myself. Well, almost. Got everything into the car except for the toy, which fell to the ground, sending the tiny dude on the motorcycle one way and the rest of the toy the other way. Frustrated, I gathered up the parts, threw them in the backseat, and hopped into the car myself to finally head home.
As we pull out onto Highway 20, Jonah all of a sudden says "Hey! Daddy! Hey!" Assuming he saw like a bird or a red truck that reminded him of Optimus Prime, I said "what?" in a tone that was about 30 times less excited than his.
"You forgot to buckle me in!"
I look in the rearview mirror to see my precious cargo unsecured, standing up and looking at me with a "what the heck do I do now?" look on his face. I don't think I've ever felt an adrenaline rush like I felt at that moment. My first thought was "If he gets hurt, you'll never ever forgive yourself you freaking moron." My second thought was "Stop looking in the mirror and focus on the road or you're definitely going to hurt him, yourself, and probably a tree." So I yell at him to sit down and stay as still as possible. He yells back at me "Daddy, buckle me in!" Being as we're on a state highway with no discernable shoulder and only about a half a mile from home, I made the decision it was safer to travel with him unbuckled than stop and buckle him in. I tell him we're almost home and to just hang on. I don't know how many times I've told Jonah that before he can do anything else in the car, he needs to be buckled in because the rule is "Safety First." Hell, I think the brand of his car seat IS Safety First. Apparently, this sunk in, because he's starting to cry and plead with me to buckle him in. We turned off of the highway and into our neighborhood and my anxiety starts to subside. Jonah's however, has not. He's almost panicked at this point. I had to stop literally less than a block from our house to buckle him in for the rest of the trip. He seemed satisfied. I told him I was really sorry and I promise that it won't happen again. He forgives me. Not wanting him running around daycare telling people that I don't buckle him in without me being there to futher explain, I say "We don't really need to tell anybody about this, ok?"
"Except Mommy, right Daddy?"
And just like that, Jonah starts looking out for me and keeping me on the straight and narrow. Who's the parent and who's the child?
Rachel, you're not allowed to answer that.
