Mommy Diaries: Scared!

I wanted to drive down to Maadi to run a few errands the other day. I didn’t need to, it wasn’t super important. Just felt like getting a few things done… But I didn’t  because I was busy, or lazy, or the traffic.

I didn’t go because I was scared.

I was afraid I’d get carjacked or robbed or kidnapped on the highway.

These fears are so foreign to me I don’t even know how to plan to protect myself from them. Then I began to hear first hand accounts of attempted kidnappings and other horror stories occurring so close to home you’d lock your doors with a deadbolt or two.

As I drove home from the supermarket with both my littles yesterday I seriously considered not buckling them into their car-seats. Just in case we were carjacked. So that I could easily pull my babies out before the maniac drove away with my car. Then I began to worry. What if that’s exactly what he wanted? My babies. For ransom. How much money do I have in the bank? Definitely not enough. Should I invest in a trust fund… for ransom?

How morbidly inappropriate is that?

They can have my car. They can take all my money. Just not my children. Who are they anyways?

Should I still send L Boogie to school? She’s definitely safe on her school bus… right? No. Apparently school buses have been targeted last week. So now what? Screw the academic standing and just put her in the closest school to home? Would that be safer? Maybe she should just  stay at home. But until when? Is this the new Egypt? Is this temporary? Is this our forever?

As cloak and dagger as this may seem, I am horrified. I’ve managed to hold it together since the revolution. I preached on and on about how patience was necessary since we are in transition. Change is good. The old regime was robbing us blind and holding us back. Egypt wasn’t anywhere near its full potential… To which my felools would respond, at least we were safe.

Touché.