I can’t explain why I felt compelled to get them wheels at such young ages. Heck, I didn’t get Vincent and Jack their first car until Vincent was 5, maybe 6, and Jack was a year younger — lo, those many years ago. I got a heckuva deal on the bright yellow, two-seat Corvette, and their beaming faces during their first spin around the block would have been worth the price of a full-sized, full-fledged, full-priced ’Vette. When Luke was 3, maybe 4, I snagged him a single-seat, battery-powered golf cart. Too bad I ran out of juice before Patrick started knocking around, because I think the only power thing I’ve ever given him was a power nap. (Not that there aren’t enough such vehicles in the Four Horsemen’s garage, with batteries in various stages of charge, and discharge.)
I didn’t even ask Brendan and Erica whether it was OK to get for their son, because, well, I didn’t want them to say no. So we got Avery the “Cars” car. But I did check with Annie and Kevin about the California terrain their daughter might encounter, as well as whether Amelia might want the “Cars” model or the pink option with girlie designs and flowers.
Amelia may look pretty in pink, but I didn’t want to force a stereotype on her. Speaking of pretty in pink, I’m reminded of a great movie from her mom’s teen years. And, since “Pretty in Pink” featured my FAVORITE song from the ’80s, OMD’s “If You Leave,” I share:
OK, now where was I, before I left my mind? Oh, yeah, well, Annie responded that their neighborhood really wasn’t conducive to Amelia Andrettis careening around and suggested a pedal-power mode of transportation. So she opted for a pedal-powered trike.
As it turned out, the “gas” pedal in Avery’s battery-powered car presented a challenge, as he couldn’t even reach the dadgum thing at the beginning. Eventually, after lengthy tutoring and stretching his leg, he was able to reach it. And he eventually mastered the idea that pushing it makes the car go.
That was then, this is now, when I get this picture from Annie: “Amelia enjoying the tricycles . . . on her day off . . . ”
Now, that sure looks like a driving course, complete with cones, to me. Next thing you know, she’ll be angling for a car, just to keep up with the grandsons. So maybe, around Christmas, or maybe, even at that July birthday ...
Well, at least the training might keep her from crashing into trees, like Avery occasionally is wont to do:
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Like I mentioned above, I don’t know why I feel the need for all of them to have cars. Heck, I was 19 or 20 before I got my first one, and I had to pay for that ’63 Volkswagen Beetle myself.
Maybe I’m caught in a ’50s time warp, back to when granddad was a lad, and there was a car for every garage. On the other hand, most garages those days were for just one car — unlike these days, when even simple folk in the suburbs have two-, three-, and four-car garages.
Oddly enough, despite the proliferation of garages, many folks STILL park their cars in their driveways because their garages are too full of toys such as boats and totes and mowers, etc., etc.
And, I can attest, some are a little crowded with battery-powered cars that over-indulgent grandparents have thrust upon their kids’ households.
