San Fermin

Tonight at dinner we were at a restaurant that had several TV's.  One was tuned to ESPN.  Toward the end of our meal, they showed the "Not Top 10" which is always a favorite in our house.  Tonight number 10 involved the Festival of San Fermin.
Or the annual Running of the Bulls.  You know... men usually wearing all white with red bandana's run through the town of Pamplona, Spain trying to out run a bunch of bulls.

Which then required explaining to the boys what was going on.

And then came the question....How do I know this?

Because I was there.  And due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I wound up running through the streets too (huge no-no. women aren't usually allowed) and into the bullring.

Yup.  That's where they all wind up.  The men/boys (most whom have been up partying all night), and the bulls which will later be "used" in the bullfights.

My friend & I climbed out of the bullring before the bulls appeared, but were stuck watching as the crowds came through and the bulls with them.  I will never forget those images.  Or how trapped & helpless I felt.  Blood on the streets, watching someone get gored, and what  happened to the bulls....

But that part I did not share with the boys at dinner.  There are some things that they are not ready to hear.  And I still don't talk much about it.  For now, they just know that I was there, people do some crazy un-safe things, and I hope & pray that they make wiser choices.

Isn't that really all we can do as parents?