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Alamb

Author/Television Reporter

Amanda Lamb is a professional television journalist and author. She covers murder trials by day and reads Dora the Explorer to her children at night. Somewhere in between all of that she writes about those parenting moments that catch each us off-guard in a crazy, chaotic, and wonderful way. Aman...

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Carpool Crisis

Amanda Lamb

Working mothers know the difference bewteen real emergencies, and those manufactured by adults who either want something done quickly or failed to plan properly.

I have been a television news reporter for eighteen years.  In the news business there’s a false sense of urgency that accompanies every assignment from a city council meeting to a press conference.  True emergencies like plane crashes happen very rarely.  But yet we race through our day like we have a hot poker prodding us up a mountain.

Real emergencies in parenting occur on a daily basis, and unlike those created by managers to make us sprint to the finish line, parenting can’t wait.  A child throwing up in the carpool line with twenty cars behind you is one of these real-life emergencies that must be dealt with immediately.

“Mama, I’m gonna get sick,” my four-year-old yells from the backseat.  I look in the rear-view mirror.  She has the look.  She is pale, clearly fear-stricken, and gagging.  To add to the crisis it is pouring rain and I have three other children in the car who need to get to class. 

“Hold on!” I respond not knowing exactly what I am going to do.  With the precision of a member of a  race car pit crew I jump out, grab my daughter out of the car seat, bring her to the grass median and order her to stay like a puppy dog.  I then open the hatch of the station wagon and let the other children out.  I am careful not to make eye contact with the other drivers who are surely trying to get to the office.  A carpool monitor offers to stay with my daughter while I pull out of the line and park.  I run back to the median and get there just in time to rub her back while she throws up on the grass in front of everyone.  I pick her up covering her head with my raincoat and her faces with my kisses.

It’s only 8:20 in the morning and I’ve had my first real emergency of the day.  I’m sure there will be many more that are manufactured, but mothers know the difference, don’t we?