So there I was, driving down a winding road trying to get my three week old to sleep. (Isn’t this what all new moms do when their infants won’t nap?) And I love this road. It parallels a river and showcases some of the most beautiful homes. Sounds relaxing and stress free, right?
On this particular day (not knowing how to nap my child yet and nearly losing my blessed new mom mind) I was relieved that my baby was finally asleep. I remember thinking: ‘I will drive this road for hours if she will sleep. Oh please God, let her sleep.’ And just as I thought I would be able to enjoy a cup of coffee, a little bit of quiet time, a few songs on the radio…it happened. My nerves were shot. I felt a jolt in my spine. I wanted to slam on brakes, hop out of the car and give someone a piece of my mind.
I was being tailgated.
And when I say tailgated. I don’t mean that someone was a car’s length behind me. I mean that they were less than a Volkswagen beetle’s length behind me and getting closer. I kept staring at my speedometer wondering what the problem was - I was doing the speed limit. I was even doing a courteous 5mph over the limit. But no, this car wanted to sniff the exhaust fumes from the toosh of my wagon.
I felt helpless.
That’s when I called my husband (as if he could help sitting at his desk across town). I told him that I wished I could plaster a sign on the back of my car that screams ‘BABY ON BOARD, back off my bumper buddy!’
I believe that if all moms could have a comfortable, plush, armored tank that got at least 30 miles to the gallon, to drive their families around in – they would. These tanks would come in an array of colors. We’d feel safe. Our babies could sleep soundly. Our children would make it to and from sports practices without worry. And family trips would be taken without fear of high speed maniacs zipping through traffic on the freeway.
So my husband says, ‘you know they make those signs.’ I knew that already. I’ve seen them. They’re these yellow caution signs suction-cupped to windows. They say what I want, but no one pays attention to them. That caution sign is so old that we glance at it and it just doesn’t register – the message is lost. But the message is perfect. So my husband says, ‘I’ve got it! We make a new sign.’
And right there, as I was being tailgated, having a momentary lapse of sanity, daydreaming about pulling the car over and making a citizen’s arrest to the person threatening the safety of my newborn, was when the new baby on board stickers came to life. My husband is a surfer. We live in a beach community. It seemed like the perfect combination.
And maybe, hopefully, the message will be seen again. Maybe it won’t be lost in the bright yellow caution sign. And maybe someone will see it, smile…and then ease off the bumper of a mom, or dad, toting the most precious cargo God has ever entrusted them with.
It’s worth a try. And you’ve got to admit, the sticker is pretty darn cute.
Aussie Island Surf Shop, Wilmington, NC
Hot Wax Surf Shop, Wilmington, NC
Sweetwater Surf Shop, Wrightsville Beach, NC