Stop For Children
Being a mother of three in 2023 is something else. With all the news in recent months, the idea that I or my children could be shot simply for not crossing the street “fast enough” is pure insanity. All because someone doesn’t want to stop for children crossing the road.
If someone is mean and I ignore it, I teach my children to do the same; I teach them to be people pleasers, and I look like a bad parent. If I stand up for my child and state what happened was wrong, then I now put my children in danger because I could get shot.
Dammed if I do, dammed if I don’t.
The Incident
I have a 5-year-old, a 4-year-old, and an 8-month-old; just going to the store is a chore as is, let alone add someone being impatient about me not crossing the street fast enough.
I recently dealt with this very specific experience, where a man decided my family took too long to cross. He revved up his big truck, inching forward aggressively, and scared my five-year-old, causing him to cry. I flipped him off and yelled at him while trying to hurry my children to safety.
I shared my experience about this on TikTok and was met with victim blaming by people in the comments. Someone even told me we could have been shot because I didn’t just keep quiet and hurry up out of the way. I had to make a follow-up video to explain why that wasn’t even one of my first thoughts. And then had to post another update video because people kept making it my fault for this man’s aggressive behavior.
Why is that okay? We’re having forced births happen, but this is how children are treated? Why am I allowed to be treated as such and expected to be quiet?
The person who threatened my kids with his car later ran into us at the store and also said comments like, “If you loved your son, you’d hold his hand all the time,” when it was explained that we were trying to hurry and what he did was absolutely uncalled for. Is this okay? Wearing a Trump hat, we know damn well he doesn’t support abortions, so shouldn’t he love kids? Or at least be nice or patient to them?
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When It Becomes Dangerous to Teach Your Children Life Lessons
The idea we could’ve been shot because of this encounter is insane. Especially when it becomes my fault for speaking up. All because some people in the world might want to solve disputes like this with violence.
If I say nothing, my child feels betrayed; he learns that if someone does wrong, we are to ignore it, and he learns to be a people pleaser. If I say something, I’m endangering my family, causing problems too big to handle, and could get shot because “don’t I watch the news?”
Since when did standing up as a parent become controversial? Something needs to change. I get the fear, but we shouldn’t be so scared that no one can say anything or stand up for what’s right. If the fear of a shooting is there, then what about me? I could have pulled a gun out and shot him, too, but he still threatened us with his vehicle. If these kinds of people have no fear, then why should I? I was just as capable of pulling a gun out but instead got put down for saying it was wrong.
These are our children; they’re learning their voices, and I can tell you right now I will not be one to silence them or show them they should be silenced. These problems aren’t going away, and being quiet isn’t solving them. So, rather than tearing down someone who’s trying their best, let’s address the gun problem and the issue of violence by aggressive men against women and children.
Children can and will take space. Be kind and patient with them, especially when they’re crossing the street! And if you can’t stop for children, you shouldn’t be driving a truck so large that you can’t even see people in front of you.
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