Roller blading and Garbage Men

Elizabeth asked if she could roller blade to school today. I initially said no for a variety of reasons including she hadn't walked to school alone, she wasn't very good on the roller blades, she hadn't done it in a while, she didn't have good wrist protection and I had to get to my cat thing.  So she asked if she could scooter. I said she could if Parker went with her. He said, "no dice."  She was pretty sad about all that, but not in a rude tantrum way, so I told her she could do it but that I would follow her in my car. She was happy and put on her blades and started practicing out front. Before that she had some trouble with the buckle and laces but I wouldn't help her since I figured if she could go to school alone, she should be able to figure out the blades. Which she did.

We left at the same time as the other kids, but I followed behind her in the car like a crazy stalker. She fell a few times and wasn't really gliding, but otherwise did ok. When we got to the place where there are no more streets to cross and the school is right there, I yelled out, Bye! and turned up the street to go my way. There was a garbage truck in the way and I couldn't pass so I turned around saw her again and took off.

After school, I asked her how it went the rest of the way. She said fine except she couldn't get her blades off. I asked her how she managed to do it...did she get help or figure it out? She said she got help. I asked who helped her.  She said, "This man who does the garbage."  WHAT?!?!?!  I said, "You asked the garbage man to help you with your rollerblades?"  No, she replied. He came up to her and asked if she needed help. And she said yes and then talked to him while he helped her with the boot.

Oh my god. I freaked out and told her that was the complete opposite of what she should have done. Haven't we talked about not talking to men that you don't know their first name? Haven't we talked about asking moms we know for help? Wasn't there anyone else to ask? Didn't Miranda walk right by? What the hell made you think that asking this strange man for help was the right thing to do? She said she was going to be late to school if he didn't help. I told her she could miss a whole day of school rather than talk to the man stranger alone.

Yeah, sure, I scared the crap out of her and made her cry, but that was my intent. I was so pissed (mostly at myself) that she did the wrong thing. That of all my kids I think of her as the responsible one who would know what to do in these situations. Who would never talk to a stranger.  And boy I was wrong. Completely.

This is a picture that ANOTHER MOM sent me in the morning saying how great it was that I let her rollerblade to school. This was literally at the base of the school where I told her to take off her blades because the hill was too steep to go up in them. Why they didn't help her, I do not understand.