My empathetic child...

Cooper and I picked up Karsten from preschool last week and it had been barely sprinkling all day. Just enough to make the roads slick, but not enough to do a bit of good for our dry grass.

We were heading home, taking Cesar Chavez onto Mopac. We were approaching the on-ramp and the car in front of us started to skid as the road curved. It hit the guard rail and then bounced off and it the guard rail on the other side. We were pretty far back from them, so I had plenty of time to slow down and stop my car. I pulled over on the shoulder and got out to make sure the driver was okay.

He was pretty shaken up, but just fine. I then noticed he had a little boy in the back seat, who was buckled in the car seat and also totally fine, just shaken up and crying a little. I stayed with the man and his son while he had called the police and talked with him a little more while he calmed down a little bit. At that point, I was afraid that someone else might skid on that slick curve and hit me since we were both sticking out in the lane some. I asked the man if I could do anything for him and encouraged him to get on the other side of the guard rail in the grass to get away from traffic. He said they were fine and thanked me for stopping and staying.

When I got back in the car, I reported back to Karsten what happened and we drove off. Not more than 10 yards later, Karsten said "Mom, it was really cool watching that man crash his car." I couldn't believe my ears! Here this poor man and his child were totally shaken up and on the verge of tears, all right in front of our car where my window was open and Karsten could hear and see all that was going on, and that was all he could think to say!!! I talked with him about how scary it was to be in a car accident and how lucky they were that everyone was safe and that he was now going to have to get his car fixed, etc.

I did feel a little better the next day when Karsten asked me what I thought that man and his son were doing now. I guess it is just the way kids' process information. But, man did it feel like I had a pretty insensitive child. He is only 3 though...