【Safety Micro-story】A “Special” Class

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I’m busy most of the time, so I rarely take my son out to play. When I finally found some free time, I rode my electric bike to take him out. When we reached an intersection, the green light turned yellow just then; I accelerated and rushed through. My son shouted, “Dad, the light is yellow – why didn’t you wait?” “Uh… I forgot. Next time,” I said, making up an excuse for myself. My son muttered under his breath, “Liar.” When we reached the next intersection, the light just changed from green to yellow, so I had to hit the brakes and stop on the zebra crossing. “Dad, you’re over the line; go back quickly,” he said. “Oh, that aunt is running a red light,” my son kept saying non-stop. ““Didn’t you say to stop at red lights, go at green lights, and wait when the light is yellow? To drive safely and not break the rules?” my son shouted. “Adults are all liars; they only trick children.” I was surprised to hear such words from my six-year-old son; I was left speechless for a moment. 　　The principles we teach our children, why can’t we apply them ourselves? Is it because we’re too busy or in a rush? We teach our children safety rules in the hope that they will stay safe, yet we ourselves take risks, thereby showing them that it’s okay to break the rules. I often run red lights when there are no people or cars around, and I also see people running red lights with their children; it turns out that in a child’s eyes, adults are all deceitful people who don’t keep their word. 　　Today, my son gave me a lesson, which had two parts: first, I drove in violation of the rules; second, I am also a person who doesn’t keep his promises, a liar. I suddenly felt like a very failed father, yet I was also lucky. Not only should I not blame my son, but I should also be grateful to him – grateful for being such a poor father who taught me a \"special\" lesson.