Driving

Parenting Lesson of the Day:

When you become a parent, you become a better driver.


False.

Okay I have to give myself some credit. I'm very cautious when making tricky turns, obeying the speed limit, etc. However, this Sunday I was driving home after church with a screaming baby. Desperation set in. My daughter loves to rock and bounce for as long as your legs can possibly stand it, and more. But in the car there's not much you can do. I've taken to jostling her car-seat with my right hand reaching back while driving with my left. Today this would not do the trick. I found myself purposefully driving into potholes and swerving into storm drains on the side of the road. Bump Bump. The crying would lessen. That wouldn't quite do the trick entirely. So I wouldn't slow down over speed bumps. The crying got quieter. I stopped at a red light. Uh oh, it got louder. I start to nervously pump the brake pedal in order to shake the whole car. Only a few chirps from the back seat. By the time I arrived home, she was asleep.

So my semi-reckless driving works occasionally. Only sometimes, I don't need to, and find myself hunting down potholes. One afternoon I was driving and my husband sat in the back with the baby. I swerved a bit out of instinct and he asked me calmly from the back, "Are you trying to put her to sleep?" I was unaware that this had become a subconscious thing. "Oh. Yeah... I am...".

So if you see a car swerving around the road, don't assume they're a drunk driver. They might just be a desperate parent.