I’m one of THEM!
The other day I saw a kid that in about 10 years will be auditioning for the Darwin awards. And it made me angry.
For those of you that haven’t been in my neighborhood, let me describe it to you: we live on a hilly two-lane street. The hill is a notably steep hill. It’s the kind of hill that in my unfit shape, I’ve required to stop at least 4 times to take a break before I can reach my house… and we’re only the 10th house up the street. Needless to say I don’t walk it often, but I admire those that do. So yeah, you have a good image of a steep hill in your head? Good!
Well, the other day, as G and I were on our way out (down the hill), towards the bottom I saw a relatively small object also moving down the street. As I approached it I realized that this was a person… sitting on a skateboard… lugeing down the street. This dude was using his feet for breaks. Unfortunately he didn’t have the best of balance because at one point he started wobbling and swerving down the street. I’m now reducing my speed to a relative crawl, and my car is halfway in the other lane facing opposite traffic, as I try to pass this person. As I do this, I realize it’s a kid. No more that 12 years old. This is where the anger set in.
So why was I angry? I was angry on behalf of his parents. I wanted to pull over, drag him off his skateboard by the ear and demand that we called his parents right then and there. I wanted to call the cops too. At that stage, I wished that all kids wore tags, like our pets do because I wanted to know that someone was going to be grounding him that evening.
I put myself in the shoes of that boys mom, thinking that if that was G, he’d be immediately forbidden from piloting anything on wheels until he turned 18.
Yep, I’ve realized that I empathize with the parents now, and not the ballsy kid… and I used to be the ballsy kid. Apparently about a year ago I passed some invisible threshold where I’ve become one of THEM: the cranky adults. But you know what? I think I’m OK with that.
The kid will be OK. At 12 if you’re not doing the luge on your skateboard down the street there’s something wrong with you. I lamented having only moderately steep hills around my house down which one could luge. Without a helmet.
But yes, my parents weren’t thrilled about it then, either.