I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. In the end, it all comes down to choices. We teach, we preach, we beg, we plead, we threaten, we punish, we pray; but ultimately, we cannot save our children from themselves… All parents struggle with this fact; I’m even worse, because I want to prevent everyone from making the mistake B did…
Two weekends ago, my cousin and I had a little time to catch up between wedding festivities… When she shared that one of her boys had been pulled over for suspicion of DWI, I didn’t know how to respond. Thankfully, she kept talking, so I never had to say a word… Her son was swerving on the road long enough to attract the attention of a police officer; as it turned out, he hadn’t been drinking, he was texting…
They live in a small town in SC; within minutes of it happening, she received multiple calls and messages about it. Texting while driving isn’t illegal down there… When she confronted him about it, he tried to turn it around by saying “You do it, why shouldn’t I?”
She quickly assured me she didn’t text behind the wheel; she said she always pulls off the road first…
Early last week, a colleague of ours received the dreaded phone call. Her daughter had been in a terrible accident on the interstate. Fortunately, she walked away, shaken but basically unharmed. Her car was not as lucky; it was a total loss.
Last Thursday when I asked how her daughter was doing, she took a deep breath, kind of grimaced and said, “She’s okay now. Hopefully she’s learned her lesson about texting and driving; this wreck really scared her. Maybe the third time’s the charm.”
Once again, I was at a loss for words… When I finally found my voice, I told her I was glad everything turned out fine and excused myself.
One teenager…three wrecks…one year…texting a factor in all of them…
A family member…a co-worker…both have seen firsthand the heartache we must live with, all because of a split-second distraction. Their children knew Brian, but clearly the memory of what happened to him and why has been forgotten…
It’s discouraging. If Brian’s death doesn’t impact them, what are the chances it will really influence anyone else?
I dream…I hope…I pray…his life, his loss, will make a difference…
One thing is certain: if I stay silent, it will have no chance at all…
Wishing you many blessings…tg
Tammy will update her blog on Mondays and Thursdays
