The One Where Joshua Drove My Car...

We talk about it to this day...that time Joshua drove my car.

We were living in a small Arkansas town. Joshua was about 3...and Holly was a baby.

On my way to church one Wednesday night, I had stopped "real quick" to return a movie at the movie rental place.

I thought I was a really responsible mother. I never left my children unattended. I kept them buckled up, strapped in...held their hands when they crossed the street. I kept the medicines put up in a high cabinet, and I had protective devices on all of the cabinet and drawers. I was diligent...watchful.

I was in a hurry that day...but even at that, I knew not to ever leave children in the car. And isn't it like us to think that we know better than what everyone says...because it won't happen to us, right? I was just going to jump out "real quick" and run in...and put the movie in the little slot. I mean, by the time I got the kids unbuckled, I could be done...so it was really going to be a waste of time to get them out, haul them in with me.

Because I was just so fast.

And smarter than the a-ver-age bear.

Ha.

The next thing I know, the movie man said, "uhhhh" and pointed out the window.

In the short time it had taken me to jump out and run into the movie store, Joshua had somehow slithered out of his car-seat and had gotten in my seat. At the time, I drove an ISUZU Trooper that was standard shift. Joshua had accidentally (or on purpose...who even knows?) knocked the gear into neutral. Since I had parked on an incline, the truck was rolling backwards. Joshua was standing up in the drivers seat, both hands clasped tightly on the steering wheel...BIG, HUGE GRIN on his face. Holly was strapped in her car-seat in the back-seat. She was sucking on her pacifier, staring at me. I could see her clearly because she was in the middle of the back-seat.

I guess I should've known. Joshua was a little wild man, a Houdini. I needed extra eyes, hands and feet to keep up with him! I got pretty good at reading him...assessing the situation when we were out...predicting and preventing some of his behavior. But it took time to hone that skill, and I'm only one woman. I can't do it all...and this was when Joshua was really young. I got lost in those almond-shaped eyes and all common sense and reason just fell out of my head.

I was able to run out and stop the vehicle. I'm sure everyone in the movie store got a good laugh out of it. I learned my lesson and never, ever, EVER left my kids in the car again, even for even the quickest of errands.

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD..." Psalm 150:6