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No one starts their day anticipating getting into a car crash. But teens like Presley teach us that it only takes one time riding in a car without bucking up for a life to be changed forever.
Presley's Story
"I lost my best friend because we didn't buckle up."
Eight years ago, Presley lost her best friend, Lindsay to a tragic car crash when the pair were driving home from a nearby gas station. It was a rainy fall night and Lindsay hit a curve in the road and lost control of the car. The car ran off the road, crashed into a ditch and flipped several times.
"Mommy, I have a great idea. After school, you can pick me up and we can walk to town and get some ice cream."
My 4-year-old son, Winston, says this nearly every day during our morning commute.
It sounds so Mayberry, doesn't it?
Mind you, my family lives in a suburb of DC that has 1 million people and growing. And my husband and I live a pretty hectic life (as do most parents, I think). We both work outside the home and our days start early and end late.
Every December, my family piles into our 2001 minivan (275,000 miles and counting) and heads to Buffalo to visit my mother-in-law. I call her “Grammy Yes” because whenever my kids asked Grammy a question, the answer was always, “yes.”
“Yes, you can have chocolate-covered potato chips for breakfast.”
“Yes, you can stay up as late as you want.”
“Yes, we can keep that feral cat.”
“Yes.” “Yes.” “Yes.”
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Today’s moms and dads have a hard-won reputation for pushing their kids, at least when it comes to school and sports. Finish your homework. Study for that test. Don’t miss soccer practice. But parents may be less likely to stay on top of teens and preteens about matters that, in the scheme of things, are far more important than whether they make the varsity team or ace their SATs.
Consider the issue of road safety—which is truly a matter of life and death.