29Jul

The Goal

Every year at the end of July I celebrate the anniversary of climbing a 14,000 foot mountain. It was an amazing experience. And even though it was years ago now, I still remember every step of the ascent. But one of the most memorable things I took away from the experience was what one of the guides told us before we headed out from base camp – “Our goal is not to get to the top of the mountain. Our goal is to get back down.”

This statement has played out throughout my life and in particular I think it is most relevant to me as a mom. There are so many times that we are in a rush to get somewhere that sometimes things get left behind and on occasion the speed limit is pushed just a little.

But as a mom it is really important to remember that the goal is not necessarily to get the child to soccer on time but ultimately it is to get them back home safely.

The secondary goal is to get them to their appointment, practice or event on time and then back home again safely.

As moms we spend a lot of time in our cars getting kids too and fro and so here are some ideas to help make that a little bit safer and to reach our goal of getting back home again safely.

Before going anywhere

1. Take care of your car

Get regular oil changes
Check your tires and have them rotated regularly
As you pull into the driveway at night check to see if you have enough gas in the car to get you to where you need to go the next day OR if you will need to take extra time first thing in the morning to stop by the gas station ( nothing worse than finding a gas tank on E surprise in the morning ).

2. Check your car seats

Your local fire department will often do an inspection for you to make sure that your car seats are installed properly. Having a car seat that is not installed correctly is like wearing a bike helmet without strapping it on.

3. In case of emergency

Make sure your cell phone is charged and/or make sure you have a car charger
Make sure your AAA membership is up to date and your membership card is in your car or wallet. Better yet just make a photocopy of your member card and leave it in every car.

4. Plan on leaving early.

Someone once told me “you never arrive late – you leave late”. When you have kids it always takes you longer than you planned to get out of the house and to get to your destination. That is a given. So, if you think it will take you 15 minutes to get somewhere then plan on 20 or even 25. It is ok to arrive a little early.

Before you leave the driveway

1. Have a routine

Get all the kids in the car and check their seat belts
Walk around the car. Sometimes there are toys or other objects left right behind the car that you might not see in your rear view mirror and this can really slow you down right out of the gate. It is much easier to take a second and do one lap around the car just to be sure.

Once you’re in the car

This is THE most important of all

stay calm and don’t let the kids get you rattled
don’t speed
most important – DO NOT TEXT and DRIVE. If you have teenagers you want to lead by example and you definitely do not want them texting while they are driving so don’t let them see you do it
if at all possible keep phone calls to a minimum. ( Some states have laws about cell phone calls but texting has been slower to be mandated. Follow your state laws on cell phone use. )

You have precious cargo. There are enough crazy people out on the road – you want to make sure to keep your eyes out for them and be able to respond quickly. I recently posted a link on facebook to the story below about the danger of texting and driving and several people posted comments about drivers they had seen texting and driving. One driver was swerving on the road and as my friend drove past them they saw that pereson driving with their knees texting away. The thought of big rig drivers texting while they are driving is pretty scarry too.

So remember – your goal is not to get to the mountain top. The goal is to get back home safely.

DANGERS OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING