Mother's Advice
By ossie16d
@ossie16d (11821)
Australia
December 15, 2006 12:10am CST
This is from an email I received and forms part of a petition. I have not included the names on the petition here, because it is just too long but I wanted to share this with everyone.
I went to a party,
And remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mum
So I had a sprite instead.
I felt proud of myself,
The way you said I would,
That I didn't drink and drive,
Though some friends said I should.
I made a healthy choice,
And your advice to me was right,
The party finally ended,
And the kids drove out of sight.
I got into my car,
Sure to get home in one piece,
I never knew what was coming, Mum
Something I expected least.
Now I'm lying on the pavement,
And I hear the policeman say,
The kid that caused this wreck was drunk,
Mum, his voice seems far away.
My own blood's all around me,
As I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say,
This girl is going to die.
I'm sure the guy had no idea,
While he was flying high,
Because he chose to drink and drive,
Now I would have to die.
So why do people do it, Mum
Knowing that it ruins lives?
And now the pain is cutting me,
Like a hundred stabbing knives.
Someone should have taught him,
That it's wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his parents had,
I'd still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter, Mum
I'm getting really scared.
These are my final moments,
And I'm so unprepared.
I wish that you could hold me Mum,
As I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say, "I love you, Mum!"
So I love you and good-bye.
Sadly there are many people who will be like this young lady and her family today and in the future.
5 people like this
14 responses
@claudia413 (4280)
• United States
17 Dec 06
Every time I read that poem, I cry. It really hit my daughter hard when 4 boys from her high school were killed in a horrible wreck a week before graduation because someone else chose to drink and drive. I wouldn't want to live knowing that my decision to drink and drive caused someone else to die. Now, 26 years later, she has given this poem to her 18 year old daughter who is now driving. It's sad that drunk drivers do NOT always get injured or killed in an accident. Sometimes they injure or kill an innocent person. Remember, you might save a life if you take car keys away from someone who's been drinking; and the life you save may be your own.
2 people like this
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
18 Dec 06
Very well said about taking the keys away from someone who has been drinking. What an awful time that must have been for your daughter when some friends were killed just before graduation. I trust that her own daughter takes heed of what can happen and takes care of herself and her friends.
When our son still lived at home we had rules about it, so if his mates came out to our place they knew what to expect. If they were staying the night, then their car keys went on top of the microwave and if they were going home, I had to be given the car keys. Similarly, if our son went to their place those families also had rules along similar lines.
I am so pleased now that we were strict with those young men, and when I see them, I know we did the right thing. It is a bit funny because one of those young men came to see our son over the weekend and when he came inside he automatically put his keys on the microwave. He is now 31 and reminded me he still remembered the rules. LOL
Thanks so much for reading and responding to this discussion Claudia.
1 person likes this
@caribe (2465)
• United States
15 Dec 06
It is sad to know that this continues to happen and that people can't learn through someone else's experience where an innocent life was taken because they insisted they could drive drunk. Thank you for the poem. If it can make one person stop and not drive when they are drinking, it will have served a good purpose.
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
16 Dec 06
It is terrible to realise that some people are still stupid to drive after they have been drinking and sadly it is the innocent who get killed or seriously injured as a result of some drunk driver. Hopefully reading this will make some people stop and think before drinking and driving.
Thanks for reading and contributing caribe.
1 person likes this
@sweetie88 (4556)
• Pakistan
15 Dec 06
Very nice!!!
I concluded after reading urs this e-mail that Moms always love their children and look after them and always advisis them for good things and say to their children to avoid from bad deeds. Thx. a lot for sharing such good e-mail. Its urs another good discussion!!!!
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
15 Dec 06
Yes parents do advise their children to avoid some things, and unfortunately some children do not take any notice of their parents at all. I just wish all those people who drink and drive could read this.
Thanks for reading and responding to this sweetie88. :)
1 person likes this
@asimo603 (1366)
• Malaysia
9 Jan 07
A friend of mine email this message to me and I read this message a few times, it is very touching . I have also forwarded this touching message to all I knew via email and printed out a copy to keep. Thank you for sharing this message with us here in Mylot .
1 person likes this
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
9 Jan 07
I didn't mean to upset you AskAlly but yes it is very worrying for all parents that this could happen to someone close to them. I had/have that fear about my own son and he is now 31, so I understand where you are coming from. I thought that this was so true though in that no matter what we as parents tell our own children or how careful they are, there are others who are not so responsible.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
11 Mar 07
Wow! Those words are very powerful. Makes you wish you could do alot of things different and hope it is not too late.
@sherinek (3320)
• United States
15 Mar 07
Yes, you made me cry. Its just beautiful and I dont know what to say. They way it was expressed is excellent. I hope and pray, this would be read out by the drunkards all over the world who kill innocent children every minute. Thanks for a good eye-opener.
@caramello (4377)
• Australia
23 Dec 06
This is so sad but how true it is, some don't think it will ever happen to them unfortunately but it only takes the loss of a friend or family member to realise reality!
1 person likes this
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
23 Dec 06
Yes caramello, an accident can happen in split seconds and before anyone knows it another person has been killed. It is such a worry for parents to hear of an accident when they know their child or a friend is out somewhere in the area where the accident occurred.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
7 Jan 07
This story brings tears to my eyes every time I read It. It's to bad that some one has to get killed for people to become aware of the hazards of drinking and driving. A Halloween here a young girl was killed trying to beat a train at the railroad crossing. The arms were down and she tried to go around them . She had been drinking. I feel for the family.
1 person likes this
@euniceeleanor (5967)
• Singapore
15 Dec 06
i've read this before, it's a very strong message for those who drink and drive! Thanks for sharing with us!
1 person likes this
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
15 Dec 06
Yes I think this is a very strong message for everyone, and particularly those who drink and drive. Sadly, most of those people will never understand or else they will think "it'll never happen to me".
Thanks very much for reading and responding. :)
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
11 May 07
This is every parent's nightmare I think. It does get worse when they go out, more so of an evening, and when they are with their mates. Yes, we try to teach them not to drink and drive, but some of them never learn that lesson. Or if they do, it is way too late for them because something has happened.
Far too often when I am driving the truck interstate I go through some place and see all the markings on the road from an accident, where someone has been killed. More often than not, one of the other truckies will tell us that some idiot was drunk and then drove. The driver might survive but often someone is killed as a result of this stupidity.
This should be compulsory for all those idiots who drink and drive to read. Then they should have to spend some time in an ambulance when they pick up those battered bodies, because some idiot was driving while drunk.
@hassanchop (820)
• United States
9 Jan 07
It's a good message. Unfortunately, most people who drink and drive think that they are the exception to the rule, and they are fine and okay and good to go and safe, even when they are not, but this message should tap into the hearts of at least a few good hearts out there. I've had enough trouble with sober drivers - I don't look forward to having trouble with the drunk ones anytime soon.
