Last October we made a family trip to go to a concert together. My husband picked us up in Little White, our nickname for the family car. We chatted along the way about our last concert, an amazing piano recital by an amiable professor from a German conservatory of music.
It was rush hour on a Friday night. We moved forward slowly on the crowded street. Our daughter was sitting quietly when the unthinkable happened: Bam! Our car shook and the window shattered into a thousand pieces. We were all shocked and scared.
We looked out the rear window and saw a giant truck lurking beside our car. He had tried to squeeze into the road and its gigantic tire crashed into us. The owner of Big Monster quickly realized his mistake. I whisked my daughter off to a secure place on sidewalk. “Baby don't worry, Mom and Dad are here to protect you, it’s okay.”
Our daughter started to calm down. She had been scared badly and this was the first time either of us had been in an accident. She looked at our car’s deformed doors: “Will Little White die?” I comforted her: “Don't worry, Little White will go to the repair shop and they will fix everything.”
She had more concerns: “How can Dad go to work without Little White?” I assured here that all roads lead to Rome and he could ride a bike or take a bus to go to work. “There are more ways than difficulties!”
She leaned her head on me and thought carefully, then exclaimed: “Mom, Little White and work are not important, the most important thing is that Dad is alright!” I was so surprised and impressed: “Yes baby you are so right, Dad is alright and that’s the most important thing!”
I kissed her cheek over and over again. She was so caring and thoughtful and I knew her father would be very touched when he heard her lovely words. I could not believe my little girl can grow so much from an accident!
The accident and its lessons reminded me of a beautiful metaphor I read somewhere about the essence of education: “One tree shakes the next tree, one cloud pushes the next cloud, one soul wakes up the next soul.” My wish is for every parent to be the most powerful tree in their children’s hearts, just as my daughter is our most powerful cloud.
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