{"id":14294,"date":"2012-08-23T08:00:55","date_gmt":"2012-08-23T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/?p=14294"},"modified":"2013-01-12T18:21:38","modified_gmt":"2013-01-12T23:21:38","slug":"t-d-p-m-that-dreadful-parental-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/t-d-p-m-that-dreadful-parental-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"T.D.P.M. (That Dreadful Parental Moment)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Every parent will be able to relate to what I\u2019m about to recount.<\/p>\n

T.D.P.M. That Dreadful Parental Moment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It occurs without warning, in a multitude of situations, and always brings with it utter and complete dread. This moment takes on many forms. It\u2019s that split second when you lose sight of your child in a park, or when for a moment you believe they are actually choking.\u00a0 It\u2019s the time they have a REALLY bad fall that looks and sounds worse than ever before. Perhaps it\u2019s when you\u2019re waiting for a doctor to call with test results. As parents, we\u2019ve experienced, heard about and imagined a variety of these scenarios- the ones which raise the hairs on the back of your neck and make the pit in your stomach unbearable.<\/p>\n

For me, one such moment occurred last night and continues to haunt me. On our walk home from a full day of activities, my daughters were hyper when they should have been exhausted. The sidewalks were busy and it was getting dark. They were with their buddies and running ahead while my mom-friend and I chatted. My little one, who is five, was trying her best to keep up with her older sister and running really fast.<\/p>\n

We are a city family. We walk everywhere, every day. My kids are experts on the rules of the street. They know to stop well before the curb. They know that under no circumstances are they to cross a street without holding a grownup\u2019s hand. And they certainly know to look both ways and to always wait for the light.\u00a0 And yet, last night, my baby forgot all the rules and, before my very eyes, DARTED across the street without me, without looking, without anything to save her but the grace of God and the fact that she happened to have the light.<\/p>\n

My life stopped short as I watched, frozen. Her curls billowed in the wind as she ran and everything stopped making sense. My scream was loud and scary. It shocked her to immediate tears. But she was fine.\u00a0 She was safe. She made it to the other side and was OK. I, on the other hand, was not. In mere seconds everything changed. I was paralyzed, imagining what could have happened had a cab turned at that moment, or had she run against the light. It\u2019s been well over 24 hours and my mind keeps replaying the scene. I can\u2019t stop the \u2018what if\u2019 scenarios. I can\u2019t help but imagine the devastation that could have been my reality. I know that with time, this will become a memory that I will try my best to suppress\u2026 but for now it\u2019s too real and too present.<\/p>\n

The truth is, as parents, we try our very best to always keep our kids safe. It\u2019s dreadful moments like this that make you realize that all it takes is a millisecond for life as you know it to fall apart. The possibility of it happens to everyone at some time or other and it\u2019s awful every time. But after it\u2019s over, you have to decide what to do. Do you allow yourself to become consumed with it and live in fear? Or do you force yourself to accept that as terrifying as that moment was, it passed and fortunately, you\u2019re able to continue with some added vigilance?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m realistic. I know that just as this was not the first Dreadful Moment I\u2019ve experienced as a parent, unfortunately, it also won\u2019t be my last. That thought alone can be terrifying. Yet, I refuse to become the crazy helicopter parent who is scared of the world and the potential tragedies that can occur. I choose instead to move on and continue to learn and do my very best to keep my children safe.<\/p>\n

Having said that, you can be sure as hell that the \u2018sidewalk racing\u2019 days for my daughters ended last night. I\u2019m perfectly fine admitting that for the foreseeable future, when it comes to crossing streets, I will be that crazy parent.<\/p>\n

\"\"Prior to becoming a stay at home mom, Mina was an HR Recruiter for years. Now her time is spent happily juggling the demands of two young daughters while trying to expose them to the endless adventures the city has to offer<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor\u2019s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Guest writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every parent will be able to relate to what I\u2019m about to recount. T.D.P.M. That Dreadful Parental Moment. It occurs without warning, in a multitude of situations, and always brings with it utter and complete dread. This moment takes on many forms. It\u2019s that split second when you lose sight of your child in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":511,"featured_media":14297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"schneps_byline":"","schneps_post_style":"","schneps_post_source":"","schneps_syndicated_read_more":"","schneps_post_source_sitename":"","schneps_post_source_shortname":"","schneps_post_source_url":"","schneps_post_source_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,51,60,45,42],"tags":[49,50,74,76],"class_list":["post-14294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-big-kid","category-dads","category-grandparents","category-moms","category-preschool","tag-development","tag-relationships","tag-safety","tag-support"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/t-d-p-m-that-dreadful-parental-moment\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"T.D.P.M. (That Dreadful Parental Moment)","url":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/t-d-p-m-that-dreadful-parental-moment\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/t-d-p-m-that-dreadful-parental-moment\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2012\/08\/streetrace1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2012\/08\/streetrace1.jpg"},"articleSection":"Big Kid","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mina McKiernan"}],"creator":["Mina McKiernan"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mommybites New York","logo":""},"keywords":["development","relationships","safety","support"],"dateCreated":"2012-08-23T13:00:55Z","datePublished":"2012-08-23T13:00:55Z","dateModified":"2013-01-12T23:21:38Z"},"rendered":"