She’s Game For A Chase

(This happened years ago when my youngest sister was 3 and I was 13 or 14. I, my grandmother, and my little sister are walking down the street to my great-grandmother’s house when my sister jerks her hand out of my grandmother’s and sprints down the sidewalk towards traffic.)

Me: *in a panic* “[Sister], no! Come back!”

(I take off running after her to try and stop her before she can reach the street when my grandmother grabs me by the arm and gives me an angry look.)

Grandmother: “Don’t chase her or she’ll keep running!”

(She ran into the road and a car ended up swerving and crashing into a parking meter to avoid her. I knew she saw it as a game and chasing her was encouraging her, but I couldn’t understand why my grandmother would actively prevent me from doing so when she was running straight for a busy road with no sign of stopping. It’s a miracle that she’s still alive and well today.)