There's a reason I buy old cars.
Actually, two.
For one thing, I enjoy working on cars, fixing them, keeping them in running shape. Given enough time and opportunity, I'd spend hours every day taking them all apart, bolt by bolt, cleaning them all up and then putting them all together again, shiny and brand-new. One of these days, should I live long enough, I want to have a car or two I could drive over to the local car show and pop up the hood and show off all the little sparkly metal pieces and have people admire it and say what a nice, clean, beautiful piece of work it is.
Until that day occurs, I have a driveway full of old, rusty, beat-up, mostly-functional cars.
Which brings me to my second reason.
So long as there are teenagers in the house, teenagers who drive these cars hither and yon, I'm going to keep old cars around.
Because if the cars get dings and scratches and bumps and cracks, I don't care. It doesn't bother me if they don't look like they just rolled off the assembly line. And I'm not going to take them to the shop to have some artiste waste time and money (lots of money!) trying to repair cosmetic damage.
It just ain't worth it.
Naturally, I'll make sure the cars are safe to drive. Tires properly inflated, wipers functional, engines running, transmissions working. But body damage is not worth a moment's concern. (Other than slapping a quick coat of paint on it to keep oxidation from turning little dents into huge holes.)
Teens make occasional mistakes. Cars suffer the consequences.
Teens learn from their mistakes. Cars can still operate with dents.
So when someone (who shall remain nameless) backs out of the driveway in the morning with a little less caution than is necessary and accidentally hits one of the other cars, leaving a nice little dent on both vehicles, I'm not going to get all upset about it. I'm not going to make them pay for it. I'm not even going to bother to fix it. Yet.
I figure the best reminder to be more cautious, is to let them see that damage every day when they (once again) pull out of the driveway and get onto the public roads.
And when I'm finally ready to do something about it, they'll work with me to fix the dent, to bend a little metal, apply a little putty, sand and shape and buff and polish until it's impossible to tell there ever was a dent. And maybe that experience will help them understand a little of why we have to be careful.
But I will remind them all - frequently - that we aren't just cautious because we want to avoid piddly damage to cars.
We are most cautious because we wish to avoid damage to people.
And I ask them to imagine the consequences of inattention when pedestrians are involved. When other children are walking in our street, in front of our house, on their way to the bus stop, on a cold, dark morning. These children - and their parents - are relying on us to make sure there is nothing in our path before we send three thousand pounds of automobile rolling across the ground.
We mustn't disappoint them.
Actually, two.
For one thing, I enjoy working on cars, fixing them, keeping them in running shape. Given enough time and opportunity, I'd spend hours every day taking them all apart, bolt by bolt, cleaning them all up and then putting them all together again, shiny and brand-new. One of these days, should I live long enough, I want to have a car or two I could drive over to the local car show and pop up the hood and show off all the little sparkly metal pieces and have people admire it and say what a nice, clean, beautiful piece of work it is.
Until that day occurs, I have a driveway full of old, rusty, beat-up, mostly-functional cars.
Which brings me to my second reason.
So long as there are teenagers in the house, teenagers who drive these cars hither and yon, I'm going to keep old cars around.
Because if the cars get dings and scratches and bumps and cracks, I don't care. It doesn't bother me if they don't look like they just rolled off the assembly line. And I'm not going to take them to the shop to have some artiste waste time and money (lots of money!) trying to repair cosmetic damage.
It just ain't worth it.
Naturally, I'll make sure the cars are safe to drive. Tires properly inflated, wipers functional, engines running, transmissions working. But body damage is not worth a moment's concern. (Other than slapping a quick coat of paint on it to keep oxidation from turning little dents into huge holes.)
Teens make occasional mistakes. Cars suffer the consequences.
Teens learn from their mistakes. Cars can still operate with dents.
So when someone (who shall remain nameless) backs out of the driveway in the morning with a little less caution than is necessary and accidentally hits one of the other cars, leaving a nice little dent on both vehicles, I'm not going to get all upset about it. I'm not going to make them pay for it. I'm not even going to bother to fix it. Yet.
I figure the best reminder to be more cautious, is to let them see that damage every day when they (once again) pull out of the driveway and get onto the public roads.
And when I'm finally ready to do something about it, they'll work with me to fix the dent, to bend a little metal, apply a little putty, sand and shape and buff and polish until it's impossible to tell there ever was a dent. And maybe that experience will help them understand a little of why we have to be careful.
But I will remind them all - frequently - that we aren't just cautious because we want to avoid piddly damage to cars.
We are most cautious because we wish to avoid damage to people.
And I ask them to imagine the consequences of inattention when pedestrians are involved. When other children are walking in our street, in front of our house, on their way to the bus stop, on a cold, dark morning. These children - and their parents - are relying on us to make sure there is nothing in our path before we send three thousand pounds of automobile rolling across the ground.
We mustn't disappoint them.
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