I am not the best driver out there. Let me quantify that for you a bit.
I have a "good friend"; one morning in her new house while late to get the kids to camp, she peeled out of the driveway which was full of painters/contractors/electricians and hit the poor painter's car, scraping all along the side of his truck with her brand new SUV. After her husband encouraged her to just give the guy $100 and hope that settles it, she practically had to leave the house with a paper bag over her head until the house renovation was done. Esshh.
We also made the genius move of buying an SUV to fit all our wordly belongings in while the house was still under construction and the garage was full of supplies, only to find out said car did not fit into the garage—double eshhh.
So moving to the suburbs and having to drive EVERYWHERE with kids in tow can be a bit of a transition for some of us. I still yearn for the day when the drive- through Starbucks will magically appear and I can get my latte whilst the children are passed out in the backseat....but I digress.
Come to find out the suburbs are full of helpful individuals for urban to suburban getting-the-hang-of-it drivers like me. It took me a few months and a very helpful neighbor to point out that there actually is a little safety latch on the side of the rear doors to keep the kids from opening their doors somewhere in between Larchmont and New Rochelle on I-95. Eshh.
In addition there is the police department. Not in the "Ma'm did you know you were going 60 m.p.h. with a cup of coffee and your purse on the roof of your car in a 40 m.p.h. zone," but in a, "How do I make sure my kids are properly secured in their lovely new suburban car seats with 12 cupholders apiece?" If they get naked on the drive home from school while buckled in and take the shoulder belt off, is that dangerous?
I sauntered over to the police department in Mamaroneck on a lovely winter day and met with Officer Hollywood (not kidding) who was kind enough to make sure that my car seats were properly installed. That's him in the photo trying to secure the car seats and ignore the half eaten apple and crushed cheerios in said carseat. He was very kind and, as a father himself, patient and, most importantly, non- judgmental.
So if you have friends moving here from the burbs, let them know Officer Hollywood is there to help. With purchasing a gas guzzler that fits in a 1960s garage, however, they are on their own with that one!!
