From guest blogger Nicole Moulton: Mom’s #1 worry: Will they listen to your advice in an emergency?
Posted by Catherine on January 23, 2012
This past week the news stations here have been airing a story about a man who's attempting to take young children. As a mom you have those conversations with your kids: never talk to strangers, don't leave with someone you know or don't know ever, and how to keep themselves safe. I found myself wondering, when the situation happened, would they remember? Would they do what I told them? Because that's the key, whether your teachings will be remembered. I was milling over this and a group of my girl friends and I were in the car headed to our monthly GNO. We were all talking and one of my friends brought up if our mom's ever talked to us about stuff like, don't leave your drinks at a party and then drink them, don't accepts drinks from a guy at a party, stuff like that. I was the first one to answer. YES! My mom was GREAT about that. The women were talking but my mind had answered the question I had been worried about earlier, and I was brought back to a night where I was in a situation where if I hadn't remembered, followed, and done what my mom taught me, I more than likely wouldn't be here today.
My co-workers and I were out to dinner at a great little mexican restaurant off the beaten road. When I left the table to use the rest room a really drunk man at the bar said, "You better watch yourself" I looked down and around because I thought maybe I was going to trip or hit someone or something, but I couldn't figure out what the man was talking about..so I just minded my own business. But I kept thinking about what he said. I literally even told the group about it. A guy just told me to watch myself? Am I attracting attention in any way? What do you think that meant? They all took one look at the guy who was sloppy drunk and was like, "who knows! You've been eating, you're hardly attracting attention!" We finished up out meal and we all headed out to our cars. As I was walking to my car, I looked under it, in the back seat, and got in. (Something my mom had taught me to do.) I noticed there were cigarettes by it..they were smoking still, I thought it was strange, but maybe someone parked next to me finished up their smoke. But I heard the words of that man in my mind and I got that feeling in my stomach. I looked at where I was.
We were at a great mexican restaurant but it was isolated and I started to think about how I was going to get home. I heard my mom saying, "Check your rear view mirrors. Make sure no one is following you. If they are don't go home, get to the most public place you can, drive right up onto the front stoop of the place, and get help." I thought, boy I'm spooked tonight. I kept replaying what the guy said to me and I was convinced he had said it to me and it wasn't scolding me it was literally out of concern, like a warning. I pulled out of the parking lot, started to drive home and noticed a pick up left around the same time. But it's lights weren't on. I noticed that right away. I kept on my way home but noticed when I would turn, they would turn. Stranger, they still had no headlights on, they never used blinkers, but I could see a cigarette glowing in the cab. I knew I was in trouble, my gut was saying, "Don't drive home, get to a public place now!" I listened. I started heading to the busiest street and most populated place I could get. The pick up was still following me. And now the pick up turned his head lights on because the person driving the car knew I knew they were following me. I had just gotten to the public road where there would be stores, restaurants, and people, when my steering column started to spark, started on fire, and the car started to fill with thick black electrical smoke. My wires were on fire, the smoke was so thick I could barely breath but I couldn't roll down my windows, they no longer worked. I wanted to panic at this point and cry. I heard my mom say, "Don't panic, think" I couldn't see to turn or know if there was traffic, but I knew if I could turn and get to the middle lane that I would have a chance to make it..and I would have to get out and start to run to safety.
I had no other choice but to get out of the car. I don't know how it happened without getting broad-sided or run over, but I turned right, jumped out of the car, threw my heels in the street, and started to run. Thank GOD I had been running long distance for awhile and was athletic. I could do this! I never looked back at where the pick up was, I knew if I did, I was going to panic. I could hear the pickup squeeling around the corner and I felt my run change to a full on sprint... I still had to cross the road, run the field and get to safety. Safety was a strip mall, a chinese restaurant was the only thing open still, and I prayed to God that at 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday that they would still be open. If only I could have made it to Kind Soopers! I was running through the field and now I was looking to see where the pick up was. He hadn't expected me to cut through it barefoot and had to turn unexpectedly. I had 500 yards to go by foot, he had 1000 by car. I thought this is it..will I make it. I tore off and when I felt my hand hit that door and open it, all I could do was pray it would open...and it did. I yelled, call 911 please, some guy in a blue pick up is following me home! Just as I did that, the pick up drove by and the guy yelled out, You just got lucky you B*****!" When I saw the man I realized he had been sitting next to the older drunk man that was warning me at the bar. He tore off after that. I looked down, my knee was bloody, my feet were as well, my face was darkened from the smoke and the only clean areas of my face were where I had been sweating and crying. The police came, took a report, took my car and examined it and said they were certain it had been tampered with, but all I really could think about was my mom. When she and my dad got there, they were utterly shocked. I looked crazy and it's that feeling I can imagine now as a parent that you are happy yet in shock. I literally knew all the advice she had given me in my life had truly saved me. I had listened to all of it. Even though I had spent most of my teenage years rolling my eyes at her and making her feel dumb for giving it to me.
As we turned into our GNO location I felt peace. I know that my mom worried a lot that I wouldn't listen and probably still does to some extent. Our worry and fear to protect our children really never goes away does it? We have to find a way to trust that we have done and said all we can and the rest is up to our kids to follow our wisdom. And I knew that my kids would listen to me. I would do exactly what my mom did. Never stop talking about how to be safe. To be street smart. I wouldn't worry about the eye rolls or my kids telling me I was "paranoid"! I know I'm not. I lived to tell this story because of a paranoid mom!
Have you ever had that moment where you were thankful you had listened to the wisdom your mom or an adult had shared with you? As a parent do you worry if your kids will listen to you and take you seriously? How often do you have these conversations with you kids?
Nicole Moulton
Owner/Creator of her social network
http://hersocialnetwork.com
