Caution

I was thinking about these signs on the drive to my parents. Remember when they were wildly popular a decade ago? Every now and then I see them dangling in a car window and I laugh. What is the point of these signs? I doubt that they protect the occupants of the car. Like a drunk driver would see it and think, "Okay, baby ahead, let's focus here." Or a teenager would read it and slow down and get out of your trunk. Maybe a good intentioned mother hangs one of these in her window the first time she drives her new little bundle, thinking that it was a plaque of honor.
I laugh because this sign is really a warning to other drivers on the road, not about the occupants but the operator of the vehicle. "Baby on Board" aka "Distracted Mother Driving Mad." How many times is driving with your children a quiet, pleasant drive? Never, my friend. This is a screaming-infant, fighting-children, yelling-mother, objects-flying, hair-on-fire drive. How many times have I driven for miles without seeing the road, distracted by the overwhelming crush of thoughts and drone of Radio Disney and chattering children? Too many times to count. How many times have a carried on a lengthy "conversation" or scolding through the rear-view mirror while steering my 2-ton van down the freeway? I'm embarrassed to say. And how many times is my immediate attention needed, even demanded by my children while driving? Daily.
I remember as a child fearing for my life as my mother drove our Econo Van 80 MPH while steering with her knee and applying makeup to her face in the rear-view mirror. I wondered how we could survive. Guess where my makeup bag permanently resides today? Yep, in the glove box. I don't have one of these signs in my window, but I probably should. I think the other drivers would appreciate the heads up.