On Being "Exuberant"

Jack was sparking off a while back and I turned to Clint and said, "He's so....what's the word?" Clint said, "Exuberant." So, when referring to Jack, exuberant is an euphemism for a-danger-to-self-and-others. The other morning his exuberance was almost the end of him. We were leaving a doctor's appointment and as we exited the elevator on the main floor Jack saw that the doors to the outside opened automatically. He sprinted ahead of me. I had Trace in the car seat so I couldn't catch him as he sprinted out the door and straight into the parking lot. I see a car speeding past the entrance of the building at about 30 miles an hour. My blood curdling scream was just enough to slow him down enough that he missed getting run over by about 7 inches. I lectured, "Jack this is why you cannot run in parking lots and you have to hold my hand. That car almost ran you over and smashed you flat!" Jack replied brightly, "But it did NOT smash me flat!" So there, Mom.