I happen to have proof my 10 yr old is still young.
Here's a pic from our camping adventures from this summer. He's playing with plastic apes! (wait... I play with them to so what does that make me? Nevermind, that theory may not wash after all.)
Today's dilemma is, my son wanted to walk to school all on his own. We live in a very small town, so it's not that it's a terrible thing to do. It's just that there's an extremely busy road he must CROSS on the way to school that had my stomache aching.
Yes, there is a crosswalk guard manning the road. But you know.. if a mom's eyes are not on their child, it's like throwing him into the deep end of a pool! (yeah, I have issues when I watch him swim too)
Anyway, this fine AM Cody insisted he wanted to walk ALL BY HIMSELF. whimper...
"I'll just make sure you cross ok, then you can go, alright?"
"No mom!"
"Ok, I'll just..."
"NO MOM! I'm grown up now!"
Phooey.
So I prepped him well about waiting for the traffic to STOP before proceeding across the road, regardless of when the crosswalk sign was behing held up. Make sure you have eye contact, wave and make sure they wave back, blah blah blah. I got alot of eye rolling and the like, but I had to have my say by golly!
I know abit too much. I volunteer at that crosswalk and not ALL traffic stops right when you want it to. Being a crosswalk guard is an artform. You wait for a lull in traffic, THEN you risk life and limb and throw yourself out there with your teeny weeny little stop sign and flashy glow in the dark vest, two features that do NOT stop traffic alone. You don't rely on your gear. You rely on your wit and good judgement calls. And pray on occasion too.
I'm happy to report, I convinced him to let me go to the end of our road so I could at least see for myself that there was a guard there. Sometimes they aren't, it happens. When I saw the crosswalk was well taken care of, Cody IMMEDIATELY set me on my way back home.
I do know he'll be ok. There's lots of kid activity on that sidewalk. And I also know the crosswalk guard can see the kids pretty much until they walk into the school yard. So, I really DO know he'll be ok.
But just for today, I feel very immature. I think my 10 yr old has finally surpassed my own age, as I may never grow up after all.
