Mamas, Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Safe Drivers

I have mostly been enjoying my business trip here in Boston. The exhibit booth experience, interacting with PhD scientists, has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and I have been getting my fill of the local seafood. My colleagues here are charming, and I've gotten to see three friends who live in the area plus two more tonight. However, I received bad news yesterday and can't do a thing about it except alert other friends.

One of our long time friends from the volleyball group at the Mid Island Y lost his teenage son in an automobile accident on Monday. I know no other details but was told that he hit a parked car. I've no idea whether the impact was at a high speed, or whether the injury was in an unlucky spot and it was merely "one of those things." This is J's only child. My heart breaks for his former wife, and for his current wife (the boy's stepmom). I'm going through the same cycle I did when my cousin lost her daughter to cancer two and a half years ago: feeling lucky that I have three beautiful children, and wondering why other people's children didn't make it.

One memory that haunts me is the conversation we had with J and his wife the last time they were at our home (they'd come for a mini reunion with mutual friends who now live in Knoxville and were visiting LI). J said he was constantly worried that his son wasn't a safe driver and had already been in more than one collision.

I drive 400 miles each week during my commute, and a lot of local and highway driving over the weekends too. I see way too many people who seem to think they are playing a video game. Don't I wish that J's son could have had a RESET button to push. Let's all try our best to impress upon our children that "drive defensively" is not merely a cutesy commercial. One day a young person is living, and the next day there is nothing. If this saves one life, it will be more than worth the effort.

Oh yes...and let's hug our kids and let them know how much they mean to us and why this is so important. You can bet the Three Amigos will get huge hugs on Friday afternoon when I get home. How ironic that I will have to drive four hours or so to get there.