Baby on Board, Child in Car
Just a short note here on something that I'm constantly wondering when I'm driving and I see a car or van with the sign "Baby on Board" or "Child in Car."
I 'm not sure why people put this sign on their car. It's not like other drivers will be less prone to rear-ending them just because of this sign. Someone please tell me the last time they were driving and thought to themself: "Oh shucks, I guess I can't ram into that car ahead...they have a baby in there." Or "They have a child in that van...guess we need to find someone else to crash into." (Although in talking to Sean about this issue, he thinks it's indeed so others drive more carefully around the car. So, in his words, "the baby doesn't go flying out of the car and hurt himself").
I know of a couple of my good friends have these signs. So it's not a question of character or intelligence. Unless I hang around with people with bad character and low-intelligence (kiddin Rich).
And I don't think it's used as an excuse to drive slowly or more cautiously. I've seen plenty (not all) of vehicles with these signs and stickers driven in an erratic and/or unsafe fashion.
Perhaps it's a warning for other drivers not to go Nick Hogan on them, rather to be more cautious and less aggressive. Aha. That must be it. Because no one wants to display road rage in front of a toddler.
I'm being slightly facetious here..I'm certainly in favour of anything that makes our streets safer.
But still, I think I'll stick to the religious bumper stickers (though I haven't put any on the Accord yet...probably cuz it's Gail's car...haha).
It reminds me of a blog I wrote 3 years ago, when I still have my beloved Jesus-mobile:
Title: How would Jesus drive?
Date: August 20, 2004
HWJD?
I’ve been driving the same car for 12 years now. Yup, the same white Acura Integra that my wonderful wife Gail can’t believe is still running. The same car that my 3 year-old son Sean Isaiah loves riding in because he gets to sit in the front seat (no airbags). The same car that my 11 month-old son Jacob Isaac…uh…wait a sec…who am I kidding…he probably has no clue as to the difference between my car and Gail’s car or any other car for that matter.
And it’s the same car that is covered with bumper stickers on its rear, stickers such as “Pro Life, Pro God,” “Got Jesus?” and “Y2J Compliant.” People I know affectionately refer to it as the “Jesus-mobile.” So in this case HWJD? stands for How Would Jesus Drive? (as opposed to the traditional WWJD?: What Would Jesus Do?)
Of course, I’m not trying to say I’m Jesus…but having these stickers on my car is certainly both an evangelization tool and a reminder to watch myself.
I’ve had the whole range of reaction to my car. People will pull up beside me at a red light and give me the big thumbs up. Or the a-ok sign. They’ll ask me what religion I belong to or where I go to worship. (My answers are usually quite brief as I keep one eye on the traffic light so as to not hold up the people behind me). I even had one guy throw something into my car! Once I assured myself it wasn’t going to explode, I realized that it was an audio tape of a Christian evangelist.
It’s not always good though. I’ve had people honk at me, give me the thumbs down, or even give me the one-finger salute (and I don’t think they were telling me that I was number one). So you gotta take the bad with the good I guess.
Now that I think about it..maybe they weren’t reacting to my car rather the way I was driving!
The bumper stickers also serve as a good reminder to me of the whole essence of being a Catholic….to love and serve others. I can do that when I’m driving by letting people in when they are trying to merge. By not speeding or driving recklessly. And by not showing any form of tantrums, impatience, or anger.
It’s not always easy, especially on the busy roads of Greater Vancouver. But no one said that being a Christian would be easy. I always say that it’s simple (in premise)….just not easy. But as youth ministers and leaders in our parishes, schools, and communities, it’s important that we are always walking the walk and not just talking the talk. That we live our lives in ways that please God. To remember that we should model Christ is every thing we say, do, and think. And that we be Christ to everyone we meet…even on the roads!
So the next time see you see me on the road, give me a honk or wave. Just make sure you’re in a safe enough situation to do so!
I 'm not sure why people put this sign on their car. It's not like other drivers will be less prone to rear-ending them just because of this sign. Someone please tell me the last time they were driving and thought to themself: "Oh shucks, I guess I can't ram into that car ahead...they have a baby in there." Or "They have a child in that van...guess we need to find someone else to crash into." (Although in talking to Sean about this issue, he thinks it's indeed so others drive more carefully around the car. So, in his words, "the baby doesn't go flying out of the car and hurt himself").
I know of a couple of my good friends have these signs. So it's not a question of character or intelligence. Unless I hang around with people with bad character and low-intelligence (kiddin Rich).
And I don't think it's used as an excuse to drive slowly or more cautiously. I've seen plenty (not all) of vehicles with these signs and stickers driven in an erratic and/or unsafe fashion.
Perhaps it's a warning for other drivers not to go Nick Hogan on them, rather to be more cautious and less aggressive. Aha. That must be it. Because no one wants to display road rage in front of a toddler.
I'm being slightly facetious here..I'm certainly in favour of anything that makes our streets safer.
But still, I think I'll stick to the religious bumper stickers (though I haven't put any on the Accord yet...probably cuz it's Gail's car...haha).
It reminds me of a blog I wrote 3 years ago, when I still have my beloved Jesus-mobile:
Title: How would Jesus drive?
Date: August 20, 2004
HWJD?
I’ve been driving the same car for 12 years now. Yup, the same white Acura Integra that my wonderful wife Gail can’t believe is still running. The same car that my 3 year-old son Sean Isaiah loves riding in because he gets to sit in the front seat (no airbags). The same car that my 11 month-old son Jacob Isaac…uh…wait a sec…who am I kidding…he probably has no clue as to the difference between my car and Gail’s car or any other car for that matter.
And it’s the same car that is covered with bumper stickers on its rear, stickers such as “Pro Life, Pro God,” “Got Jesus?” and “Y2J Compliant.” People I know affectionately refer to it as the “Jesus-mobile.” So in this case HWJD? stands for How Would Jesus Drive? (as opposed to the traditional WWJD?: What Would Jesus Do?)
Of course, I’m not trying to say I’m Jesus…but having these stickers on my car is certainly both an evangelization tool and a reminder to watch myself.
I’ve had the whole range of reaction to my car. People will pull up beside me at a red light and give me the big thumbs up. Or the a-ok sign. They’ll ask me what religion I belong to or where I go to worship. (My answers are usually quite brief as I keep one eye on the traffic light so as to not hold up the people behind me). I even had one guy throw something into my car! Once I assured myself it wasn’t going to explode, I realized that it was an audio tape of a Christian evangelist.
It’s not always good though. I’ve had people honk at me, give me the thumbs down, or even give me the one-finger salute (and I don’t think they were telling me that I was number one). So you gotta take the bad with the good I guess.
Now that I think about it..maybe they weren’t reacting to my car rather the way I was driving!
The bumper stickers also serve as a good reminder to me of the whole essence of being a Catholic….to love and serve others. I can do that when I’m driving by letting people in when they are trying to merge. By not speeding or driving recklessly. And by not showing any form of tantrums, impatience, or anger.
It’s not always easy, especially on the busy roads of Greater Vancouver. But no one said that being a Christian would be easy. I always say that it’s simple (in premise)….just not easy. But as youth ministers and leaders in our parishes, schools, and communities, it’s important that we are always walking the walk and not just talking the talk. That we live our lives in ways that please God. To remember that we should model Christ is every thing we say, do, and think. And that we be Christ to everyone we meet…even on the roads!
So the next time see you see me on the road, give me a honk or wave. Just make sure you’re in a safe enough situation to do so!
posted by Clay at 2:53 AM
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