Pictures of adorable kindergarteners, proud middle-schoolers, and grown-up seniors adorned social media this week as local children began another school year.  If you are like me, you enjoy seeing how much your friends’ kids have grown over the past year and what grades they are entering now.

As a parent myself, I know how fast kids grow and how much their appearances change from year to year. As the saying goes, children grow up … in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, tragedy can also strike . . . in the blink of an eye.

As school buses fill our streets and children line the sidewalks on their way to school, let’s all take the time to slow down–both generally in life and specifically while driving.  Remember that kids will be happily skipping to school, thinking of what games they will play on the playground and not what hazards exist around them.

Bus drivers will be stopping at periodic intervals to pick up kids, watching for traffic before waving little ones across the street to board the bus. Parents’ cars will be loaded with tiny tots ready to enter the drop-off line at school.  For those kids, bus drivers, and parents, life can take a drastic turn . . . in the blink of an eye.

As parents, we’re often told not to blink, and we often ask for life to slow down.  As drivers, we can apply the same logic, by keeping our eyes open and alert and by reducing our speed on the road.  Remember to leave a little earlier to account for stopping school buses, hurried parents, and running children.  Watch for flashing yellow lights alerting that kids are entering or leaving school and that motorists must slow down to what is essentially a crawl.

Be mindful that minivans will be loaded to the max with young kids in tow and that other cars will be operated by inexperienced teenaged drivers behind the wheel.  As perfect as children are–with all their innocence, awe, and carefree spirit–it’s scary to think how quickly something so perfect can change . . . in the blink of an eye.

As you slow down on the road, also take the time to slow down in life. Cherish these moments with your family. Spend quality time with your friends.  Notice the fine print, the unspoken words, and all the little details that get caught up in the big picture.  For as we all know, life also goes by . . . in the blink of an eye.