My beautiful Brooke
Finally, Spring has sprung—something I fully and completely embrace. The whole shoveling, scraping, layering, freezing, slipping, cold thing about winter is always nice to say good-bye to. And I don’t know about your kids, but mine are more than ready to literally break free. Frolicking, running, singing, dancing everywhere and anywhere, including the backyard, the sidewalk and the freakin’ street! Sigh.
So, I come home from work the other day and the kids want to “break free” before we even enter the house. I indulge them because I too am feeling a little frisky so I place my purse and the kids’ knapsacks by the front yard tree and proceed to play soccer in my heels, suit and nice, clean jacket. Because we live in downtown Montreal we have an alleyway beside our lower duplex, where we live. It is there we do most of our ball kicking. For passersby I am sure I looked hilarious trying to be Sporty Spice (yes, I am that old) with my Spring-inflicted children. I didn’t care though, I was having so much fun and so were they.
But as always, it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye, or in my case the wet, muddy soccer ball passes my high-heeled attempt to block it and hits my nice, clean jacket—which just happens to be light beige. “Okay kids, mommy is going to remove her jacket.”
With Max in tow we go to the front stoop to bring the bags and to place my jacket in a safer place. Just as I turned my back on the girls and headed to my destination, I instinctively turned around to see Mya kick that soccer ball so hard it passed Brooke and headed straight into the street, in the classic TV safety commercial that we have seen so many times way: kid runs for ball that trickles into the street from behind parked cars as an oncoming car speeds to meet ball and kid head on. I swear in slow motion, with a low guttural yell that I am positive pierced every household on my block, I turned and the words: BROOOOOOKE, STOOOOOPPPPP!!!!!! gushed from my mouth.
Dropping everything in my arms I sprinted toward her. I am sure the driver saw or heard me because she stopped and Brooke backed up. She motioned for Brooke to get her ball, she then shook her head my way in a tsk, tsk motion and slowly continued on her way.
I felt heavy with potential grief and held Brooke in my arms and then huddled my three kids around me as I preached the importance of NOT running into the street for a ball.
Spring is here my friends. Please play safe.
April 11, 2010 at 4:36 pm |
That has happened to me many a times, whether it’s the grocery store parking lot, our front street – wherever there may be cars! It’s always a safe ending, like your story but always important to be mindful with young children and cars.
Btw – very cute pic!