Jen McLellan | Plus Mommy

Being interviewed by all my dream media outlets and having People Magazine call me a “popular blogger and podcaster” would’ve been a dream come true.

But the reason behind my viral moment was more of a nightmare.

Seven years ago today, my husband and son were in a bad car accident when a distracted teen driver in an SUV ran a red light.

I’ll never forget the call.

Or running up to the scene and freezing when I saw my son covered in something red and sticky.

A paramedic immediately called out, “It’s a drink.”

The boys had stopped for Slurpees on their way to a friend’s house. Braeden, wearing white shorts, was covered in it, his face contorted in a way I’d never seen. Sheer terror.

Then I saw Chris.

I could tell he was holding it together for the kiddo, as we parents do, with adrenaline helping.

Then I saw the car, and my stomach dropped.

I’ll also never forget the paramedics telling me that the booster seat we still insisted our nine-year-old use helped prevent far worse injuries. His pediatrician echoed that later.

So, me being me, I wanted to raise awareness about booster seat safety.

When life gets turned upside down, I try to find some good in it. Education through storytelling has always been my jam.

The story went viral with millions of views.

Then the media started calling.

Suddenly, Braeden’s message about booster seat safety was everywhere, including his reminder that “cool kids are safe kids.”

Meanwhile, Chris, who spent weeks recovering on the couch because sleeping in our bed was too painful, was simply referred to by outlet after outlet as “the father who was driving.”

Seven years later, that’s still a running joke whenever he feels left out.

But all jokes aside, that day changed our family.

And sometimes it still shows up in unexpected ways, especially now that the kid in that booster seat is 16 and learning to drive.

It’s odd to mark the anniversary of one of the hardest experiences our family has been through.

But if sharing it reaches even one parent of a booster-age child who needs to understand booster seat safety (see the final image from @thecarseatlady), then it’s worth sharing again.

“Cool kids are safe kids.” 🩷