Catch me if you can!

It still irks me when I think about it. To this day, I don't understand why I did what I did...and yet, looking back...I shouldn't have been surprised.

But I was.

Here's what happened: We were living in a trailer park at the time. I was a stay at home mom with my two kids. My son was 3 years old. He had a red tricycle.

One day he hopped onto the trike while we were in the yard, playing. His sister was away at pre-school that morning. I was on the cordless phone, in fact...talking away to someone, as I watched Jake play.

I watch him get on his trike and go west down our street. No biggie. He'd done that cartrillions of times. He ALWAYS turned around at the neighbor's bush and came back...to ride past our place to our other neighbor's bush. SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for Jake.

So I'm watching him...ride the trike...as I'm talking...and he reaches the bush.


Except...

Except...

he doesn't turn around.

Okay...still not concerned...I walk into the street and watch him as I'm talking on the phone. He's just truckin' on his trike as fast as he can go!

Pedaling away...

not looking back...

and definitely not turning around...!

I start to follow him on foot...still talking on the phone...still expecting him to turn around. Or at least to stop...but he doesn't. He's almost to the end of the street now...and getting ready to turn right.

And I start to panic a little.

There's a speed limit for cars in the park of 10 mph...and the streets are really just wide sidewalks, for the most part...so it's not the traffic at this time of day that I'm really afraid about...it's his distance from me that is freaking me out.

I'm off the phone now, considering my options. I stop in the road and think, "I should get the car and go get him." But I'm afraid to take my eyes off of him for even a second and so I start walking really fast, believing still that he will turn around on his own and come back.

I swear the little stinker is pedaling faster!

I see some folks in their yard. "Stop him!" I think, in my head. "Can't you see that he's gone too far! That he's getting away from me?!"

They don't stop him. And why should they? He's not driving his trike recklessly...and I suppose they could see me following him. Or, perhaps, like most of us these days, they just didn't want to get involved.

At any rate, I'm really getting angry now...and almost running. WHY CAN'T I CATCH UP TO HIM! HE'S THREE! HE'S NOT AN OLYMPIC DECATHALON MEDALIST, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!
We are now about three streets over from our trailer. My brain cannot even understand how he got this far...and like the Energizer Bunny...Jake keeps going...and going....

I holler at someone else in their yard. I holler at Jake to stop!

Neither responds.

"This cannot be happening!" I think. I start to blame myself for my stupid decision to not get the car...that I should've stopped him sooner...etc...etc. Well, shouldawouldacoulda isn't helping right this minute.

And I am so mad at him!

How dare he pedal away from me...without asking! Just wait til his father gets home!!!
It's like, seven blocks away now...and he's slowing down. My adrenaline kicks into overdrive and I approach him quickly....like a freight train.

He sees me coming. And...

And smiles.

And then begins to pedal like he's never pedaled before!!!!

WHAT?? You think this is a game, little boy???

Sweat is streaming down my face...my heart is pounding...like the Incredible Hulk, I let out a blood-curdling roar.


STOPPPPP RIGHTTTTTT NOW!!!!!!

He stops.

And waits for me to limp up to him.

My hands are on my knees. I'm trying to catch my breath. And rant at the same time.

No real sound comes out.

Just...

"Ya...huff huff...you...no...ri...huff huff...yo...huff...ki....me...huff huff...thirty...huff huff...police station....huff huff...wish...huff...no...mercy."

His response?

"Mommy, I'm tired."

He holds up his little sweaty boychild hand to me.

"OH NO!" I find my mother's voice...it sounds very, very loud. "YOU WANTED TO RIDE YOUR TRIKE THIS FAR....YOU'RE GONNA RIDE IT ALL THE WAY BACK!!!"

And...as Jackie Gleason would say, "away we go....!"

No harm...no foul. Just a little boy enjoying a ride. And a mother...suddenly realizing how quickly her children can become independent...and how she does not have control over that.

And terrified. Purely, completely...terrified.

I thought, my friends, that I would never feel that way again.

Until last night.

When we bought our daughter her first cell phone.


I'm in the car next to her...and I hear myself reciting tengaprillion rules and regs on phone usage at her.

And it hits me like a ton of trikes.

She's riding down the street...just like Jake.

And I'm trying to keep up...to make sure nothing happens to her...but there's only so much I can do, you know?

After all...she's going to be in high school. She's not three years old, for crying out loud!

Oh, sure. I have some control over the phone business. I understand that. She even understands that. But I'm not able to keep up with her.

I'm not supposed to. That's not how growing up works. Really only one thing I can do.

And so, my friends....I do it earnestly...right now.

"Keep our kids close to you, Father. Thank you for giving them to us for the short time we have. Keep them safe when they ride away from us. And keep us sane...and mindful of Your love for children...and especially Your love for parents of high schoolers."

Can I get an Amen?