I have had to jump through some pretty big hoops to get to the point of bringing Grace home. Some, like the parenting and CPR classes and the fire inspection of my home were things that every parent should do. Others were just plain bizarre like submitting to psychological testing and writing a heterosexuality statement. I did them all willingly because I knew they were just formalities and each one brought me one step closer to Grace. But tonight, I did the hardest task so far...installing the car seat. Really, this was a nightmare that took me at least 2 hours and I am STILL not confident that it is installed correctly. I did it over and over. (All in 30 degree temperature and the light of one lightbulb in the garage.) I kept going back to the instruction book and my car owner's manual. I even highlighted parts I thought were important. After two hours and multiple attempts, it feels secure, but, who knows? I had heard the police or fire departments will check it for you once it is in the car. Not in my city. Or any of the surrounding areas. When you call they just say, "We don't do that anymore." So I thought the Nissan dealership might be able to help. No. No one there seems to know how to do it correctly or at least they don't seem to want to commit. I can understand. After all, it is a big deal to install a car seat - someone is going to put their baby in it and trust that it will keep her safe. There has to be a huge liability issue. But, wow. Talk about feeling vulnerable. If I did it correctly - great. She will ride safely and in comfort until it is time to change it to facing forward. (I hope she doesn't grow too fast!) And, there would be great satisfaction in knowing that I accomplished this on my own. But the truth is, you never know if it is not installed correctly until there is an accident and a tragedy I can't even allow myself to think about. So, from March 11th on, every time I strap her into the seat, I will say a little prayer that she will be safe and that we will get to our destination without any problems.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The hardest thing I have had to do
I have had to jump through some pretty big hoops to get to the point of bringing Grace home. Some, like the parenting and CPR classes and the fire inspection of my home were things that every parent should do. Others were just plain bizarre like submitting to psychological testing and writing a heterosexuality statement. I did them all willingly because I knew they were just formalities and each one brought me one step closer to Grace. But tonight, I did the hardest task so far...installing the car seat. Really, this was a nightmare that took me at least 2 hours and I am STILL not confident that it is installed correctly. I did it over and over. (All in 30 degree temperature and the light of one lightbulb in the garage.) I kept going back to the instruction book and my car owner's manual. I even highlighted parts I thought were important. After two hours and multiple attempts, it feels secure, but, who knows? I had heard the police or fire departments will check it for you once it is in the car. Not in my city. Or any of the surrounding areas. When you call they just say, "We don't do that anymore." So I thought the Nissan dealership might be able to help. No. No one there seems to know how to do it correctly or at least they don't seem to want to commit. I can understand. After all, it is a big deal to install a car seat - someone is going to put their baby in it and trust that it will keep her safe. There has to be a huge liability issue. But, wow. Talk about feeling vulnerable. If I did it correctly - great. She will ride safely and in comfort until it is time to change it to facing forward. (I hope she doesn't grow too fast!) And, there would be great satisfaction in knowing that I accomplished this on my own. But the truth is, you never know if it is not installed correctly until there is an accident and a tragedy I can't even allow myself to think about. So, from March 11th on, every time I strap her into the seat, I will say a little prayer that she will be safe and that we will get to our destination without any problems.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Lynn, I am sure, in fact positive, that you did it correctly! My question is, how long must Grace face the back? When can she watch what is going on instead of what has passed??????hmmmmmm??
Hi Ms. Villa,
It's Melody, Amy White's daughter. We shared you carseat frustrations installing the bases for Cate's and it was actually our local health department that did the check for us. Congratulations on getting to bring Grace home soon...she is a cutie!
Post a Comment