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April 17, 2005
PARENTS GRIEVE FOR ANOTHER TEEN KILLED ON ONE OF OUR KILLER ROADS
I wish we could swaddle our children up with steel blankets until they were thirty!
When it came time for my son to drive for the first time, my body jumped out of its skin. I literally held my heart in my hand until he came home that night and though he's far and away, I still hold my breath for him and his wife and for his sister that is totally fearless. Perhaps feeling the same way this 18-year old did when his '93 vehicle met the concrete pole yesterday.
What were his last thoughts? Was his soul ready to meet God? Was his family ready for his loss? I don't think so. The man who fell off the golf cart last week suffered more than just the loss of his life. The grief that family faces is beyond description and one can only pray that God gives them the grace to endure what it must. Sometimes we die because it's an accident, but many of us know that accidents are in most cases preventable.
Let us review yesterday's accident and how it could have been avoided and how this boy could today, be getting ready to go surfing, going to the movies or just hanging out with his friends. 1., He was drinking. He didn't have to be drinking. 2., He was speeding. He didn't have to speed. No matter how late he was, there was no reason to speed, Guam's not such a large area that it takes a long time to get to where you need to be. 3., He was distracted. You don't have to be distracted. Behind the wheel. You are in control. You have the choice of being focused...or, not.
Sadly, an 18-year-old boy lost his life, needlessly. More sad than that, we won't learn from it. A few weeks ago, kids his age lost their lives trying to fly off road peaks....in the coming days, kids will find something else that will put them on the 'edge' and they'll die as well........maybe our kids will stop killing themselves on the road when their parents put a little control on the way their children live their lives? I know that children can go to war at 18, but the ones that live at home and don't have job are still babies...they still need to have some control over their lives!
Posted by auntiecharo at April 17, 2005 02:01 PM
Comments
Auntie, this morning while on the way to take my son to school, I made the turn onto Rt. 16. Normally this is not a problem, but this morning, a driver of a green Element with the license plate 'WUZUP' came at me going more than 60 MPH. I was already in the lane when he attempted to kill me by coming so fast, weaving in and out of traffic that he would have crashed into my back if I didn't get out of the way. Whoever it was had already run three other drivers off the outside lane and basically was flying to his destination - work or school. I caught up with him at the intersection of the double gas stations in Barrigada. He refused to look in my direction. Is there someone I can report this to? I know exactly the time and place the attempt to kill me happened. I curse him and his inconsiderate homicidal driving. Wherever he was in such a rush to, I hope it was worth causing me to fear for my life and I hope one day he/she gets what they deserve a nice box and a 6 foot hole in the ground.
Posted by: WUZ UP driver at April 21, 2005 10:22 AM
How right you are? I had a very close call with my son when he was 17 and we were in Okinawa. He took an unauthorized spin in a tinny little second vehicle we had. Ran off the road, turned upside down and skidded to a halt just as they hit a coral rock formation. Luckily he and his passenger were able to pull themselves out through the rear window. Most lucky they didn't hit that coral formation harder or they'd have been dead for sure. Both were seriously hurt; the other boy suffered a severe hand/wrist injury requiring extensive surgery.
Only recently did I learn that my trusted daughter was getting up in the middle of the night and taking the family car out for driving lessons on the base in Okinawa. I was shocked to learn of this.
Kids are extremely difficult to keep up with sometimes. They cannot be watched each and every minute and at some point you have to trust them to use common sense and good judgement. Sadly many don't and we see the results when we read their obits.
Another thought crosses my mind about parents these days. They need to be more of a parent and less of a buddy.
Perhaps I wasn't the only one who seen the 16-year-old teen on FOX today who, supported by his mother, wore ridiculous face paint and make-up to school, along with an outre hair style. He was banned from school, but upon protest by his mother was allowed back. Upon questioning he said he had low self-esteem and this was his way of expressing himself. He looked the total jerk. And with his mother's approval. Instead of making a stand with her own she put the school officials on the spot.
Another glaring example of an unfortunate and unnecesary loss was that of the Nauta girl in Yigo who was said to be driving w/o a license and with parental knowledge/approval. The cost of allowing her to drive was too high IMO.
Posted by: Boomer at April 17, 2005 06:58 PM
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