Silent crossings
by Whitney
Victoria , a mommy blogger I know in real life, used to be a nanny. She is also a dog owner. I am writing this from the comfort of her couch. She just told me that she believes in training children like dogs – teaching them to stop at the corner in response to a hand signal and verbal command, “Wait.”
Her two-year old son knows to stop at the corner and wait for Mommy to carry him across the street.
My son Julian knows to stop at the corners, too, and he's four, so I don't carry him. He is very good about holding my hand, or hanging on to my purse if my hands are full (with his sister, most likely). I am pretty comfortable dealing with my own two kids when I cross the street, and maybe an extra four-year old with good handholding skills now and then.
But what about a larger group? Kids tend to spaz out when they get together and herding a trio, or more, of them across the street feels like a leap of faith.
A tip that I've learned from Julian is the rule they observe on walks with his preschool: No talking in the crosswalk. When they get to the corner, everyone says, “Shhhhh” and then they grasp each other's hands and cross the street. As much fun as preschoolers always seem to be having, we want them to take traffic seriously.
Taking a moment to shush each other helps them focus on the task at hand instead of stumbling off the curb in a fit of laughter about their friend's latest potty joke.
P.S. No texting while crossing either, Moms and Dads.
Photo by VOIR-66. Some rights reserved. Usage does not constitute photographer’s endorsement.
