Dear cute, blond 18 year old girl who almost ran me and my two little kids over,
Hi, it's me, the lady with those two small kids that you almost backed in to while driving in reverse at about 30 MPH in a parking lot.
I was watching you from the moment you got into your car because that's what I do, I watch when people are in their car, especially when I am a pedestrian, and try and anticipate what they will do and where they are going in attempts to avoid being run down.
My kids, by the way, are Keane, age 3, and Holland, age almost 11 months. I try and be responsible in parking lots and keep them by me, this time was no different. Holland was on my hip and Keane was holding my hand. They rely on me to keep them safe, and I was doing the best I could.
When you started backing up I noticed you did not turn your head around to check behind you. "Perhaps she is looking in her rear-view mirror" I thought, which, while not how you are supposed to back up, would have been fine because I was in sight of the mirror. I don't think you used your mirror. All of the sudden you backed up FAST, and your car was headed straight for me (and therefore Keane and Holland). I screamed as loud as I could several times and finally had to jump out of the way. As I dragged Keane by his arm out of the way I watched you drive right over the spot we had been standing. And then I became upset.
When you finally saw me, why did you throw your hands up in the air and say "WHAT?!"? Why did you refuse to roll down your window? It was unnecessary for me to have to tell you to roll down your window. Typically when someone is standing outside your car window looking at you saying "HELLO???" you roll down your window.
Now here is what really baffles me, when you DID finally roll down your window and acknowledge my presence YOU started screaming at ME! Now, perhaps I'm wrong (except that I'm not) but I believe when you almost kill three humans in a parking lot the correct response is "OHHH my goodness, I am so sorry, I did NOT see you there!!!!!" But instead you say "What is your PROBLEM??"
And this...this is when I lost it.
I want to apologize for that. I shouldn't have screamed at you and your mom who was in the passenger's seat. I mean that sincerely. I do think it's important you understand where I'm coming from, however.
I believe our...um...conversation...went something like this.
Me: WHAT?? What is MY problem? YOU WOULD HAVE RUN US OVER IF I HADN'T JUMPED OUT OF THE WAY! I HAVE TWO SMALL KIDS AND YOUR CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN RIGHT ON TOP OF US RIGHT THIS SECOND BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT WATCHING WHERE YOU WERE GOING. WE ARE IN A PARKING LOT!!!!!! USE YOUR EYEBALLS!"
At this point your mom is trying to convince you to "just apologize to her so we can go" (thanks mom, thanks for teaching your daughter respect for others and to take responsibilities for her own actions. #parentingfail)
You: (eyes roll,) "ugh, I'm SORRY. YOUR kid is so SMALL that I couldn't see him!! ITS NOT MY FAULT!!!!"
Me: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HE WAS HOLDING MY HAND THE ENTIRE TIME. HE WAS LESS THAN AN INCH FROM MY SIDE AND GUESS WHAT? I'M TALLER THAN YOUR CAR. DON'T BLAME THIS ON HIM!!!!"
Mom: Hey, she is scared too! Just leave her alone!
Now I agree, at this point you were probably scared that I was going to jump in your car window and strangle you. And again, I shouldn't have been screaming.
You: "STOP SCREAMING AT ME. IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOUR SON IS SO SMALL! I SAID I WAS SORRY!!"
Me: "OHHHHHH MY GOSH! AGAIN DO NOT BLAME THIS ON HIM! HE WAS RIGHT NEXT TO ME THE WHOLE TIME. Oh my goodness!!! (I gesture toward mom) And you, are you mom??
Mom: Yes...
Me: And you are what, 16?
You: 18!!! UGH!
Me: "Mom, you are letting her blame this on me. I shouldn't be yelling and I'm sorry but do you realize she almost ran us over? Like, LITERALLY almost ran us over!? "
Mom: "Hey! She is scared too! She said she is sorry!"
Me: I CANNOT BELIEVE NEITHER OF YOU CARE THAT YOU ALMOST RAN US OVER. LIKE HIT US WITH A CAR!!! DO YOU GUYS NOT GET IT??? WATCH WHERE YOU ARE DRIVING, WE ARE IN A PARKING LOT, NOT ON THE FREEWAY!! THERE ARE PEOPLE WALKING ALL OVER THE PLACE, WHY THE HECK WERE YOU GOING SO FAST???? YOU WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO ANYONE!! AND I WASN'T EVEN THAT CLOSE YOU TO, PLUUUUSSSSS I WAS THERE FIRST! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS? IN A FREAKING PARKING LOT!!!!! YOU TWO ARE UNBELIEVABLE!!!!"
Mom: She said sorry!!!! She was scared!!!
Me: "Yeah, obviously!"
That's when I walked away, shaking from anger as well as with fear for my kids.
I realized quickly that if I had been able to remain calm, perhaps I could have explained myself better and you would have understood that you were in fact at fault and that the consequences could have been really serious, having drastic effects on both of our lives.
Instead I blew a gasket and because of that you probably immediately updated your Facebook status with something like "PSYCHO LADY JUST CHEWED ME OUT FOR NO REASON! CRAZY B%$#@ #ihateher #iamperfect #andhertwobrats #crazylady #imawesome #shescrazy #mymomsmybestie"
I hope you understand that while hitting ME with your car would have likely just injured me, you very possibly could have killed my son who was walking. Do you understand that killing him could get you tried for involuntary manslaughter? Honey, you are 18, that's an adult sentence. I don't mean to be melodramatic, or to exaggerate the situation, but that is how close you were to us. Close enough for me to And me? You could have killed my child. Does that not bring you back down to earth momentarily?
I hope you also realize that your mom did you a huge disservice by "taking your side". Once again, she had your back when I was barking down your throat, but she didn't correct your driving, she didn't kindly tell you that you did in fact make a mistake, and she did not help you see what the situation could have turned into if I had not acted fast enough. That makes me sad for both you and her.
In the end I really DO hope you accept my apology for lashing out. That was out of line and uncalled for. I'm not typically a total crazy lady. Usually I'm level headed and composed. Apparently not when my kids' safety is jeopardized, however.
Oh yeah, you are 18 now. It's time to step up and be an adult.
--Brittney
