We were about a 1/2 mile on the highway from the exit, driving along at a good clip when we noticed a car on the side of the highway and the driver outside the vehicle.  When we first noticed the car (a Jeep Cherokee) we were probably a football field’s length away from her but approaching fast (because after all we were on a highway…a road by definition made for going fast!)  As we closed in on this car and the driver of the car outside the vehicle the rest just happened in slow motion.  We noticed that not only was there the driver getting out of the car, but she also had what appeared to be about an 18 month old boy (if he was even that old) and she was taking him out of the car…on the highway side of the car, not the safe shoulder side of the car.  She then proceeded to put him down…PUT HIM DOWN…on the ground once she reached the back of the car.  Let’s recap…she pulled him out of the car, carried him to the back of the car by the bumper and upon rounding the corner of the driver’s side back bumper SHE FLIPPING PUT HIM DOWN ON THE ROAD WAY IN BACK OF THE CAR!!!  The mother turned her back thinking he would follow her.  So what does this little boy do?  He turns tail and starts to run out onto the highway (he made it as far as getting one foot just over the white traffic line on the side of the road), then Hubbie SLAMS his foot on the breaks, I brace myself on my door and the center console with both my arms and scream OH MY GOD (plus a few other choice words…mainly aimed at the woman and her flipping stupidity)!!! She had only gotten one stride before she realized he wasn’t following her and he was about to enter the path of ONCOMING FLIPPING traffic!!!  She grabbed him and pulled him to safety.

Fortunately this ended the way it did, but seriously?…this was the scariest moment I’ve had in a long time.  I was not “right” for quite a bit of time.  All the way to the deli and then all the way home I could feel a huge lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes.  I kept thinking, Oh my God, what if?  That woman is so totally crazy for even attempting to take her son out of the car on the the highway in the first place.  Let alone taking him out of the car ON THE DRIVER’S SIDE!!!  What got into her?  It was NUTS!!!  I am guessing he HAD to pee or something at that very moment and that’s why she stopped in the first place, but HOLY HELL…it was so scary and I think she totally owes me a gift certificate for a massage after that incident.  I could feel how tense I got.  Can you imagine?

So, some parents do the stupidest things to put their child at risk.  We see it in the news EVERY STINKIN’ DAY!!!  What have you witnessed first hand that made you cringe and want to call the local authorities on that parent?