“This is cool, Dad, this is the best time of my life!”
These are the words screeched by 10-year-old Eric, whose father, Ace, decided it was a good idea to bring his son along while tracking tornadoes in Kansas today. Being a good American and responsible “I-Reporter”, he then decided it would be an even better idea to show the world he’d done so by submitting the evidence to CNN. I can only assume that the adrenaline racing through Eric’s veins had gone to his head, and what should have been identified as paralyzing fear was misinterpreted as excitement.
They got their wish: they ended up caught between two tornadoes. Now, I’m no parent, but my immediate gut reaction to this footage was, “WHAT IS THAT KID DOING IN THAT VEHICLE?”
I can appreciate what I think Ace’s intentions were…to show his child the raw beauty of nature, to share a rare experience with his son that they’d always remember. One hot summer evening when I was a kid, we sat with some neighbours and watched a wicked electrical storm from a row of lawn chairs in our suburban garage. The lightening was constant, and it felt just like we were watching fireworks. (Another time we watched a violent thunderstorm from my uncle’s apartment in Ottawa, part of the same storm system that produced the Barrie tornado. We played Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” album good and loud to drown out the thunder that would have scared Matt, who was only 4 or 5 at the time.) However, I don’t believe our Dad would ever have put us in harm’s way, the way Ace endangered Eric.
Just to be clear: A man can drive his child into the path of a tornado, but Alec Baldwin is a bad parent? Come on.
