Baby on Board and ROAD RAGE

I have no idea how you other moms handle this, but dealing with road rage while my little is in the vehicle has been a challenge! It’s not me, so much, that I’m worried about. It’s the other drivers on the road that are also CRAZY drivers! And I don’t think they are just crazy drivers. I think they are CRAZY in general!

Let me give some background: I have a past of having really bad road rage. I was the person that would blow the horn all aggressively at you, yelling and screaming, if pulled out in front of me, drove too slow, or anything else that annoyed me. I would slam on breaks if people followed me too close. If people would almost cause an accident by doing something like pulling out in front of me, changing lanes too close or with no signal, or just driving recklessly, I would follow them…just to give a little scare. I would even do the same thing to cops! I would follow them for pulling out in front of me causing me to have to slam on breaks! I was that bad.

All I wanted was for people to follow the rules. The rules are in place to keep everyone safe and keep everything running smoothly. Why ruin it all because you want to be a jerk. Oh, right! That’s what jerks do! (LOL) But people did things that put me, themselves, and others in danger, and I felt a strong need to stand up to them. But it came out in the form of rage. Yelling, banging the horn, throwing up my hands…just crazy. See, now I had become what I was so angry at! CRAZY!

My road rage calmed down dramatically when I did one simple thing that I didn’t even realize would affect my road rage. I changed what music I listened to. I was listening to the crazy hip hop and there was a song that came on that just made me feel like it was steady making me stupid just hearing it! I turned the radio off and haven’t listened to that mess since. Then one day I noticed that I hadn’t had road rage since either. I had really calmed down. Now, people still annoy me with their driving and I question their judgment and the stability of the person who even issued them a license, but I don’t yell and scream or get aggressive back. I’m actually nice…for the most part!

Now, when I became pregnant, I of course became very protective and expected everyone to drive super careful around me as if they were all aware of my precious passenger. So, after a few years of calm driving (for the most part), I felt my rage returning. I’m also pretty sure that hormones played a part, too! (LOL) But after having two previous loses, I really wanted to protect this baby. I wasn’t going to let anyone mess that up or even get close to! Blowing the horn returned a little, but I was still trying to be understanding and consider that maybe there’s a reason behind it all. You know, maybe they had a long day and was reflecting and sort of zoned out. Or maybe they have a blind spot and just didn’t see me. Or maybe they actually thought they had enough time and/or speed to get out in traffic and just didn’t. YES, I do that much thinking!!!

Since AJ was born, I have an even more boldness and will just stare people down when they did something reckless. When I sat in the backseat with AJ, I would turn around and look at people that followed too close, as if to say, “Okay, now! My baby in here! I’m WATCHING you! Don’t be stupid!” (LOL) I was so uneasy and wanted to watch everything and everyone. I kept mentioning to my husband Angleo that I wanted a baby on board sign that was custom because I wanted to let people know that I wasn’t playing with them! They had better drive like they had some sense around my precious little guy! But the road became so scary to me. Seeing tiny little AJ in that carseat and watching gigantic tractor trailer trucks go by just made me realize how dangerous the road can be. Looking from a baby’s perspective, it’s a REALLY big and overwhelming world!!!

Now, to the purpose of this post: dealing with the crazy drivers, keeping your little one safe, and all while keeping your road rage under control. How is it done? I’ve heard stories from other moms before I became a parent how car accidents would happen and moms would be thankful that the child wasn’t in the car or it was so minor that the child was just fine. As a new mom, I want to know how you moms actually handle the craziness that comes with driving with your child. If there is an accident, how do you REALLY react and interact with the other driver?

I had an incident a couple of weeks ago where I was driving down a long stretch heading home from work. I had AJ in the backseat since my husband drops him off with me in the afternoons on his way to work. I’m driving down a four lane highway when this guy in a truck just pulls out of NOWHERE in front of me and is going SUPER SLOW! I’m coming right at him at 55 mph and had to slam on breaks HARD and swerve a little to keep from hitting him!!! Thinking back, it’s almost like he had pulled out in the middle of the highway and JUST STOPPED!!! But I was so upset, because there was NOBODY behind me! He could have pulled out as slow as he wanted if he had just waited for me to go by. Why pull out in front of me, not considering who may be in my car?

I was so upset I was shaking! But instantly I wanted to whip my car around and follow that guy and give him a piece of my mind FOR REAL! Because I had my baby in the car!!! But I couldn’t do that because I had my baby in the car!!! So, either way, I had to make a smart choice because I had my baby in the car! It was God though, because I kept looking in my mirrors because I really wanted to get to them! He knew I needed to just get on home safely. So, I pulled over and checked on AJ. He looked at me and went on back to sleep! I was thinking, ‘Geesh, he’s fine!’ The way everything happened, I just knew he would be screaming his head off. But I came to realize just how and why the baby car seats are designed the way they are. And facing the rear did wonders because the slamming on breaks didn’t even affect him! I was like, ‘I get it now!”

I drove home, which was about 5 minutes away, and calmed myself down. I was still shaking for a little while, but so glad I was able to stop and it didn’t result in an actual crash. I was thankful. Very thankful. I felt like God was protecting us. Not just from hitting that guy, but that could have been a distraction from something that could have happened up ahead. Turning into my neighborhood can be tricky sometimes and not the safest if everyone isn’t paying attention.

Just today, there was a driver behind me on my way home once again, and this time they were so close behind me it felt like they were in the backseat with AJ!!! I wasn’t speeding up because I was already at the speed limit. I wasn’t going over! They finally sped around me (over double solid lines), but get this: I ended up ahead of them after we both ended up at a stop light!!! So, what was the point? Why drive all fast on my tail when we ended up at the same stop light and I ended up ahead of you? Why do all of that???

I’ve learned that crazy people do not pay your “Baby On Board” signs any attention. I got the signs just before AJ was born in preparation for his birth and driving him home, letting others know to think twice. But my windows are tinted, and I felt that you couldn’t see the sign that well unless you got really close and if they are close enough to see it, that was too close for my comfort. So, I got the MAGNET the other day so that you can’t help but to see it. But it meant nothing to that person on my tail today.

So, I have this questions just stirring in my mind! How do you other moms deal with the crazy drivers when your children are in the car? Those of you that have had accidents or fender benders, what were the interactions? Were the other (crazy) drivers apologetic? I just want to know what goes on in these people’s minds and why they drive with no consideration that there are PEOPLE in these other cars. PEOPLE with real LIVES and FAMILIES. Share your stories in the COMMENTS BELOW!!! I would LOVE to read them!

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Have a SUPER day!

Amy McCutcheon