Heart stopping moment.

First a warning. I know when people tell me scary, horrible things that have happened to their kids it freaks me out. I will think of it happening to my girls and I can't stop till I become a paranoid freak. If this is you, please don't read this.

Anyone with kids knows how much they love wearing their parents things. This is especially true of little girls with their mother's clothes. Ari is no exception. She loves my shoes, dresses, shirts. Even my bras. Her latest article of mine is my black scarf. It is a scarf fit for a princess. It is sheer and gauzy with fringe at the end. And it is long. So very, very long. Today we were heading over to a friends house. She asked if she could wear it. I saw no problem with this. Told her to be careful on the stairs as it was trailing on the floor and I didn't want her to slip. Also we had the car today, not the van. We start getting loaded into the car. Ari has finally reached the age where she can not only buckle herself in, but she can shut the car door also. So she does her thing while I get Kira in. I look over and see that she is buckled up and away we go.

So get over to our friends house and I go to pull up to the curb. I pull to far forward and I start to reverse. Next thing I hear is Ari crying in the back seat. I look back and ask her what's wrong "It's pulling on me." It looks as though she is pointing to the seat belt. I figure the locking mechanism got activated and start to reverse some more. Now I hear an even louder scream. I look back and she is bent sideways sobbing. There is nothing but fear in her eyes. My mom instincts kick in. I immediately stop, put on the parking break. I don't even put it in neutral, just let my foot off the clutch. I jump out of the car (which is still sticking out into the street) and run around to Ari's side. Before I open the door I see it. I see that beautiful scarf she is in love with. The one wrapped around her neck. I see it starting to get wrapped into the wheel well of the back tire. My heart stopped. I threw open the door, and pulled it off of her and the tire. I grabbed her and just held her there. She was crying so hard. I just sat there holding her. All I was imagining that in the 5 mile drive there, what if it had gotten tangled sooner. When I was going 35 miles an hour and not just a couple inches. What if, what if, what if....

We are home now. She is happily eating a hotdog and watching Fern Gully. I just keep looking at her. She doesn't even know that I almost lost her today. There is a horrible looking red mark around her neck from the scarf. That scarf. It is sitting on the floor boards of the car. I told her she wasn't allowed to wear it anymore. I will probably throw it away. I don't think I can ever wear it again. Hell, might even burn it in the fire place. *sigh* what if...