Mom Did It Again!!!!!

[Janet]

Only this time she took out 5 mailboxes. Mother went camping down by Crawfordsville. It's at least an hour drive or more and I told her I didn't think she needed to go because of the heat. It's suppose to be 91 on Sunday when she is planning on coming home.

On her way into the campground she must have turned to short or something, but there was a cluster of mailboxes and Mom took out 5 of them. She has mirrors that she puts on her front fenders, they stick out farther so she can see her camper better. Well, it knocked her mirror off and did something to the awning rail on her camper. She said she felt or heard something, but didn't know what it was. I can't believe she didn't know her mirror was knocked off.

Anyway...the police were involved of course and she called me, but I was with Lynne in town so my son called me. I called Mom back and had to speak with the policeman. He called me back a couple of times, because the first time Mom was watching him like a hawk and making sure she knew what he was telling her. He had his partner speak with her so he could speak with me without 'getting in trouble' with her....lol.

I don't know what we're going to do with her, but the policeman was very nice and said that there are provisional licenses....like she could drive her car...but not pull a camper or trailer. So...now....who is going to be the brave soul that is going to tell Mom???? Heaven help me!!!

[judy]

Thank goodness she's okay!

I don't think they should revise her license because of a few mailboxes. What else has she hit recently?

I just love her though, Janet! The cop didn't want to "get in trouble!!!" That sounds just like your Mom! Maybe he will tell her about his plans for her license!

[DianaB]

I'll come and stand BEHIND you when you tell her for moral support and to catch you when she knocks you down!!!!!!

[lynne b]

Originally Posted by DianaB

I'll come and stand BEHIND you when you tell her for moral support and to catch you when she knocks you down!!!!!!

Oh Diana that is just to funny....thank goodness no one has gotten hurt, but it is better to be safe than sorry.....if they restrict her license she will still be able to drive just not pull the camper.

We did have a good laugh over it. LOL

[gja1000]

OMG! I'll give you all the moral support you need (over the Internet) when you tell her LOL!I

[Janet]

Thanks ladies. Diana...you are hilarious! Last year or the year before...she banged up the whole side of her car and half of one side of her camper. She can't hear well, can't see out of one eye well so she really doesn't need to be pulling anything..or driving at all really.

[Blueyes]

Oh Janet, we went through this with Mike's dad! This is the PERFECT time. Get in touch with the police you talked to..or someone in that department. They will tell your mom that it's unsafe for her to pull a camper, but she CAN drive her car. You would feel awful if she really hurt a person.

[DianaB]

That's a good idea, Betsi, to have the police tell her. Then she can beat them up!!!!

[paula1961]

Wow! I'm so glad that your Mom or anyone else wasn't hurt Janet but I must say that when I read this........I couldn't keep from laughing.

Diana.....you crack me up too!!

I also agree with Betsi. Let the cops be the ones to tell her.

[Janet]

We tried to get Mom to let us come and help her bring the camper home, but she wouldn't hear of it. Said she could make it home just fine. She was used to pulling it and we weren't. She made it home just fine by 10 AM. All the campers in her group thought it best they leave early because of the heat and the storms that were predicted for the afternoon.

She called and let me know she made it home okay, but her camper was a little crooked in the drive. Rick and I drove in town to help her straighten it and to help her unload. She sure had angels watching out for her because Rick pulled the car/camper up so he could back it straighter for her and the brake line blew. He crawled under the car to check it out and the brake line was rusted real bad and finally just blew out. Brake fluid all over the driveway. Thank God they didn't go out while she was on her way home.

Tomorrow, I have to take Mom to the kidney center and then when we come home...we'll have to get her car somewhere to be fixed. Well you know what they say..."life would be a bowl of cherries if it wasn't for the pits".

[DianaB]

Oh wow!!! She sure had angels watching over her!!! That could have been really bad to have the brakes go out with the camper!!! Your Mom is so independent that not being about to take the camper out when she wants to is going to be hard.......but at least she'll still be able to drive. I bet that with you driving the school bus that it wouldn't be hard to pull the camper where she wants it.

[JJJ]

Originally Posted by DianaB

I'll come and stand BEHIND you when you tell her for moral support and to catch you when she knocks you down!!!!!!

LOL, too funny.

On a serious note she might not need to be behind the wheel. Can be fatal for her, other drivers and pedestrians. I know she might feel like if there taking her freedom away but better safe than sorry.

[Janet]

She really doesn't need to be driving. It does scare me, but someone else will have to tell her. Her driver's license doesn't expire until 7/11. If only it was sooner I could go up there and tell them it would be best to not renew it.

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by Janet

She really doesn't need to be driving. It does scare me, but someone else will have to tell her. Her driver's license doesn't expire until 7/11. If only it was sooner I could go up there and tell them it would be best to not renew it.

Oh, you can go up and tell them she is not safe to drive and they will call her in and retest her (at least that is what would happen in Texas). And in Texas it is anonymous (don't know about IN). Sometimes it just has to be done.

I agree she is probably safe to drive in her little town, but don't think she's safe to pull the camper. I think she and I would have had a knock down drag out, cuz I don't think I'd have let her pull the camper home after wiping out 5 mailboxes. She's not thinking clearly by insisting she is fine to drive when she just did that.

It is really hard, I talk to people all the time that have to do something when their loved ones are not safe to drive any longer. But some people just let the elder keep driving and I always think about that elder driving on the same roads as my daughter, or other family. It makes me cringe. I just couldn't do that, as hard as it would be to take away their driving freedom.

I was really lucky, my mom knew immediately that she couldn't see properly to drive after her mini-stroke and she never got behind the wheel again. I know it is not usually that easy. But you have to think of other people and their safety. Your mom has lived a good life and if something happened to her it would be sad, but again, she has lived a good long life. What if someone's mom hit Ricky? It's just something to think about.

Again, I know it is really hard, and I think she is probably OK to drive around her little town.