Little pitchers

I was stopped at a light at intersection. The little red hand that means "Don't Walk" was flashing when I first noticed the little old lady with her wheelie cart of groceries, and when it stopped she decided to walk out across six lanes against the traffic.

"Oh, you stupid lady. Stupid, stupid, stupid," I said to myself, but of course the three-year-old in the car heard me.

"Yes, that's a stupid lady," he said from the backseat.

"Hey, you can't call her a stupid lady," I started, all a-fluff, then I thought about what to say. I didn't want to say "Don't say stupid," because some things in life just are, and I didn't want to say, "Don't call old ladies stupid," because some of them are and hey, I just did that, you know?

I said, "Why do you think I'm calling her stupid, A?"

"Because the hand is red and she's crossing the street. And you have to wait for the white man to cross so you are safe."

"Yes, A, that's right. That's exactly why she's a stupid lady. But Mommy wasn't yelling at her; Mommy was just worried and nervous for her."