I nearly hit a child about 25 minutes ago on Montgomery Crossroad. 
By the Grace of God, 
I did not hit the child. She was about 6 or 7 years old. She just ran out in the middle of the road. As soon as I saw her, I slammed on my brakes. The car behind me did too. Thankfully, we did not get in an accident. By the way, I was in the LEFT lane when this happened, not the right lane.
The child was with her older brother. He couldn't have been older than 10. He tried to stop her and ran after her. He did his job and jerked her back before she could slam into my car. Because, be the time I stopped, it would have been her slamming into my car. I just stopped in the road and stared for a minute before having to move to stop blocking traffic. The other side of the road then had to stop for these children to cross the street. People were honking at them.
After I pass this jolting experience, I got to thinking. Where in the world was these children's mother? Why is a 10-year-old child crossing a major road with his 6-year-old sister that clearly does not know how to cross the street? Why doesn't she know how to cross a street? Why didn't they walk the 15 feet to the crosswalk that was behind us all when I almost hit her? Where the hell is the mother or father or whoever is in charge of them? I think this last question is the scariest of them all. The Lord was with that child and me when she pulled that stunt. I'm not a lead foot. I don't go 45+ in a 35 zone like many people do on that stretch of road. That child may be in the hospital at this moment had an asshole, and not me, had been driving when she did that.
I'm angry but not angry at myself. I did all I could do. Maybe I could have been a bit slower on the road I'm angry at the girl's mother. I'm angry that children that young are out on a major road like that. Makes me glad my mother was overprotective as she was.
Now that I got that out of the way and off my chest, the reason I was out that way was I was returning from taking Nicki to work. My mother has an event in Statesboro to attend tonight and Matthew has an event in Savannah he must go to. So, for 3 people to be in 3 places at the same time with only 2 cars to share, I got my car to do the Matthew run while my mother and Nicki are at their things. While I was out with Nicki, she got me an ice cream cone at The Ice Cream Club out by her work. We each had a scoop of Superman. 
I need to go brush my teeth.
[Listening to: "Betcha She Don't Love You" - Jessica Simpson]
Posted by Shawn at March 26, 2004 4:48 PM in General.
not trying to be rude, but how come you couldn't say "where was the child's parent?" or guardian? why does it have to be mother?
the kids mother could have been at work, or they could not have a mother. why does the mother get all the blame? i know my mom worked a lot when i was that age, so does that make her a bad mother?
you don't know the whole situation, so don't be like that. i mean there are many things that can happen.
shawn i'm sorry! lol i just wanted to say that.
Posted by: S at March 26, 2004 6:36 PMI was just angry about what all happened. I'm still in shock over the whole thing.
You're right, I don't know the whole story. If their mother is working her butt off, you know, you have to do what you have to do. That doesn't make a working mother a bad mother.
Whoever is in charge of those kids should not let them cross a road as busy as Montgomery Crossroad alone, without an adult with them. That's just dangerous.
Posted by: Shawn at March 26, 2004 8:17 PMyeah i understand that. someone needed to be watching the kids.
Posted by: S at March 26, 2004 9:56 PMOne day, I came thisclose to hitting a two-year-old. The child had run out in front of my car, and the mother was right there , walking on the sidewalk with another child, completely oblivious to what was going on.
Then she started yelling at ME for almost hitting her kid. Sheesh...I wasn't the one who let the kid run into the street! As soon as the kid was out of the way, I stepped on it and got away, before she could get my license plate # and try to file some bogus lawsuit.
I can understand your frustration, Shawn. People can be so stupid!
Posted by: Christine at March 27, 2004 2:22 AMI absolutely would have stopped the car, asked the 10 year old where his parents were and then gone to their house to tell them what just happened. How frustrating.
The bad part is, if you HAD hit her, YOU would probably be charged with vehicular manslaughter or sued by the parents.
Posted by: Lynda at March 27, 2004 12:47 PMI think your use of "mother" is fine here... just because a father, grandparent or other party is responsible for watching a child doesn't mean a mother shouldn't know what they are doing. If anything, a mother should be making sure the party watching her kids is doing a good job (which obviously wasn't the case here).
JR and I often joke that you get points for hitting kids running in the road, but with a child that young it's no laughing matter. Good job for not hitting the poor little thing. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
Now and Forever,
Liz
Lynda & Christine, that was my fear if I did hit her was that I would have been blamed. And Lynda, I probably would have done that if it wasn't the middle of traffic hour when it happened. 
Liz,the roadkill game? I've heard of it before.
Thanks everyone for the support.
Posted by: Shawn at March 28, 2004 5:43 PMSorry but gotta agree with "S" on this one. When I read this entry I was a little angry that you automatically blamed the mother. For all we know, they might not even HAVE a mother... They could have a single father, live with grandparents or an Aunt and Uncle... I'm tired of the mother always getting blamed for anything and everything that happens with a child. I believe father's or other care givers should be held just as responsible. And Liz, I don't agree with you either. If the mother wasn't home and someone else is watching the child, why does it automatically make it STILL her fault? The people that were in charge of the children are at fault. If the mother is at work or the store or where ever responsibility for that child falls into the hands of whoever the mother OR FATHER placed them with. Like at school... If something happens to Adrianna at school is it automatically my fault because I drove her to the bus stop? My point is... Mother's aren't the only parents and care givers of children... Put blame where blame is due... Not automatically on the mother.
Posted by: Dragon at March 29, 2004 7:11 AMNow that a few days have passed, the title is what I was thinking when it happened. I do know and understand that the real blame lies in whoever was in charge of those kids, not just neccessarily the mother. Unfortunately in our society, the mother is usually the one ultimately responsible for a child.
I just know from what I saw, no one was watching those children and that's the real shame of it all. Hence why I said " Where the hell is the mother or father or whoever is in charge of them?"
Posted by: Shawn at March 29, 2004 2:28 PM
