Dear Drivers,
I get that you’re being polite and nice. And typically I love polite and nice. I’m the mom who leans over her kids nudging them with an elbow when they're given a treat, toy, or money, and gently remind them “What are you supposed to say?”
“Thank you,” they sing-song back in unison.
I make them write thank-you notes, hold doors open for the people behind us, keep the elevator door from closing when someone is running towards it, and apologize when they've wronged a friend.
The old adage “It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice” rings true in our house.
So you may wonder why then, when you see us standing on the sidewalk waiting to cross the street and you politely and kindly decide to stop to let us cross even though there's not a stop sign in sight, I start waving you on. And when you give me the wave back in return, signaling you've stopped to let us cross, I continue to wave back flailing my arms manically with a frown on my face, motioning for you to keep going. Eventually you get the message and continue on, but you're not getting the message I’d like you to get.
You see, I also try to teach my kids about safety. They wear seatbelts when we drive, helmets when they bike, and life jackets when we're on a boat. Me not allowing my kids to cross when you've stopped to let them pass—even though you have the right of way—is part of that. I'm not always going to be there to hold their hands.
They’re waiting for you to go because you have the right of way and it's confusing to them that you're stopping even though there's no stop sign in sight. Not to mention the cars driving in the other direction who aren't stopping and can't see my kiddos.
I appreciate that you don't like seeing us standing out there in the wind/rain/snow but I’ve spent a lot of time teaching them to follow the rules of the road and I think you should too.
And if you ever hold a door open for me, I’ll politely say thank you….no hand flailing involved. I promise.
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