Reality check

Yesterday we used the car. Despite my vow to cut out driving after a recent trip to see family 100 miles away, which had found me at night on a motorway (6 lane highway) at 75mph facing a car coming head-on the wrong way. Yesterday the cat was very ill so we had to speed off to the vet, so that was that... We used the car all afternoon, went to the beach and a mall, sat in tourist traffic with the A/C on and couldn't find a place to park. Wasted alot of time doing miles and miles on highways that were not economical in their route from A to B... it was the cats fault... but it was still awful.

This morning we were having breakfast and listening to the news about the suffering following the horrific floods in Pakistan, and then the journalists wondering if this disaster might possibly have anything to do with global warming. What followed was pretty eye opening. My 6 year old who had been munching on her cornflakes asked if it was because we had used the car. My 9 year old confirmed that it was, and quoted global warming. I then asked them how we would go food shopping for the familly get-together tonight. My 9 year old said we would take the car (she obviously relished yesterday's aircon cooled effortless transport), and that is when my 6 year old told her,

"Well you say home and get a fat bum, we are going by bike."

My 4 year old broke out in giggles, and I asked my 9 year old why she wanted to go by car if it contributed to such a nasty thing.

" Whats the point ? Everybody else takes the car so it makes no difference..."

Thats when I pointed out that somebody has to start somewhere and that I didn't want to add to a horrible problem if I could avoid it. They munched on a little, thinking it over a bit, then they got up grabbed their helmets and the shopping bags and we headed for the Yuba. Truth from the mouths of babes yet again !