It is still baffling to think that there are people who would willingly refuse to put on a seat belt—an automotive implement designed particularly to increase a person’s chances of survival in case of an accident, regardless of who or what caused it.
And what is even more baffling is that this sort of behavior doesn’t change and is even passed on to future generations, perpetuating a vicious cycle of error that only gets worse.
And then they get mad about being told to do something that should be common sense, but is also backed up by laws for a very good reason. This is that story.
More info: Reddit
Enforcing rules upon kids is tough, but it's even tougher when said rules should also be enforced on the parents
Image credits: Nicki Dugan Pogue (not the actual photo)
Meet Reddit user SafeTaro. Taro is a mother of a 12-year-old daughter who had a friend, Danielle.
One day, Danielle’s mom suggested Taro carpool her daughter, as well as Danielle and her 14-year-old older brother: Danielle’s mom would drive them to school, and Taro would pick them up after. She agreed.
Turns out, neither Danielle, nor her brother, are particularly fond of seat belts. Taro would constantly have trouble getting the two to put their seat belts on. This was a no-argument thing for the mom as she had lost a friend in a car accident—something that could have been prevented if only a seat belt was worn.
This mom shared how her daughter's friend and her brother refused to put on seat belts, and ended up being 'the bad guy' all the while costing her daughter a friend
Image credits: u/SafeTaro
While the kids’ hate for seat belts never went away, at least the arguments stopped. Until one day when, having picked up the kids from school, Taro needed to pop by the post office. During that minute or two she was out of the car, those two took their seat belts off.
Again, the kids began absolutely refusing to put it back on. So, the mom decided that if they didn’t put it on, they wouldn't be going anywhere. Demands on both sides went back and forth for 45 minutes, parents were called (but to no result) until finally the kids caved and were brought home.
Image credits: u/SafeTaro
But there’s more. Taro comes home, gets a call from Danielle’s mom. Gets yelled at for making the son late for a soccer game. And no, Danielle’s mom doesn’t really want to accept the fact that they were in someone else’s car and should have obeyed their rules. The two ended up agreeing that carpooling isn’t a good idea.
On top of it all, Danielle is now not allowed to be friends with Taro’s 12-year-old until Taro apologizes for all of this. The daughter is upset and won’t speak to her, the dad thinks she should just fake an apology, effectively nearly nobody’s on her side. Except for Reddit, who found out about the story in an AITA post.
Image credits: u/SafeTaro
Taro shared her story with the internet, trying to figure out who was wrong here. She wasn’t. Besides people saying that it was just plain wrong to teach kids that seat belts are irrelevant, they also pointed out that arguing with another adult, let alone one concerned about safety, is just plain rude.
Others pointed out that it’s also the law (at least in most western countries). And, in fact, Danielle’s mom is the one who’s supposed to apologize here for raising kids who are blatantly disrespectful. This is besides the point that, if the kids somehow continue to be friends, this behavior could affect Taro’s daughter.
Well, the internet ruled that she wasn't wrong to ask for something that is not only the law, but also ensures safety
The post ended up receiving support from over 14,000 users in the form of upvotes, with over 2,000 of them commenting, and with the top comment getting even more upvotes—nearly 24,000. The story was also covered on a couple of news sites.
You can read more responses under the post on Reddit, but before you go, tell us your thoughts on this in the comment section below!