A Mothering Moment: Getting Pulled Over

The other day, I was driving home after taking my kids to music lessons and we were having an interesting conversation (about what kinds of babies mythical beasts would have…you know, the important topics). I was less than a block from home when I noticed flashing lights behind me. I changed into the far left lane, letting the policeman pass me to catch the bad guys. He pulled right behind me.

Uh oh. I was the bad guy.

Apparently, while discussing the complex offspring of a mermaid and a phoenix, I had stopped at a red light. However, instead of waiting for the light to change, I treated it more like a stop sign, waited a moment, and then drove right through. As if that wasn't bad enough, the cop had been in the next lane and I had passed right by him without noticing.

Well, it was a fascinating discussion with three kids, ages 10 and under, and their quirky perspectives.

After the policeman took my license and registration back to his car (laughing under his breath), the kids start in on me.

Baby: Are you gonna get arrested?
Yes, Baby, because your mother's misspent youth as a street thug has finally caught up with her in Suburbia.

Boy: You deserve to get a ticket.
Gee, thanks. And you probably deserve to be grounded for some reason that I've currently forgotten, but will nonetheless enforce.

Boo: Wow, Mom. You're really setting a great example for us.
Et tu, Boo-te? (But props on the elegant use of sarcasm.) And she totally started the conversation, so really, this is all her fault.

Fortunately, I was let go with just a warning (and the cop was still laughing). It was really lucky for me, considering it was the Man's birthday and the trendy shirt I got him would be disappointing enough to my fashion-impaired spouse without the added pain of an expensive traffic ticket.

Moral of the story:
Contemplate the troubles of a water-born creature that bursts into flames, but keep an eye on the traffic signals.