J has been driving a lot lately. (He has a new job on the other side of town.)
So, we really shouldn’t have been surprised when last week we got a call. J had been in an accident.
The first time is always scary. But fortunately, no one was hurt.
J was a bit rattled, however. The rest of us worried as well. In particular, Craig and I felt concern–we can both remember schoolmates and acquaintances who didn’t make it far into adulthood (or into adulthood at all) because of car accidents.
These machines that are so necessary to life are also a leading cause of death among teens and young adults. When I hand over my keys, I’m handing over independence, but I’m also handing over danger.
Perhaps danger and independence are always two sides of the same coin. Accidents happen. Still, I wish there were some way to let my children grow up without also putting them at risk.
A mother can dream.