Cars, Trains and Teenagers

I remember when I was younger, my girlfriends and I would talk about what our first car would be. Of course, most of my friends wanted a Corvette (one actually bought one, daddy was GM of a Chevy dealership) but most wanted the typical early 80's Camero or Trans Am............(don't even get me started on the "up on block" or "lawn ornament" jokes). Neither of which, I wanted. I wanted a small sprorts car. I bought one......a pretty cool Celica (for that era) which years later, bought another one. Now, I own a fully loaded (my baby) Solara. I call it "My Grown Up Version of a Celica". I love that car. That is, however, when I can actually drive it. Boy#1 thinks it's his.

But, anyway.......I am sick of cars and sick of the teenagers (and just a few minutes ago) adults who drive them. I can actually see how road rage occurs. I do not condone it. Radios and CD players were invented to help take the edge off, but I can see what BRINGS people to road rage. I just had two different people within a half a block of each incident almost plow into my car, But, that is not what I writing about.

I am trying to buy my oldest a car so he will leave mine alone and have something to get to college....sounds easy, right? No! First, I had to fight for the title (see earlier posts) to sell my SUV to help purchase a more economical and reliable car for him. I found one, or so, I thought. In fact, if I did not buy my Solara and seriously needed a car in that price range, I would have bought the car for me. Very clean and sharp. Touble with that situation is, I took it to my mechanic (thank you, God for this honest and trusting man) and he found a head-gasket leak. A very serious head-gasket leak. $1800. Head Gasket leak! I am in no way, shape or form a mechanic but even I know, that's not a good thing. So, the deal is done.....forget about it.

With boy #1, I am back to square one surfing Craig's list, the paper, whatever. But, I am so tired of cars. And what is up with the salvaged title? Please!

Now, we have boy#2. Their tastes are so completely opposite. Which is fine, not everyone, thank God has Champagne taste on a beer budget. A few months ago, he talked his father and me into a "hippie bus". I basically got what I paid for but was hoping that he could take a few auto-shop classes and kinda make this a project. He loves working with his hands and is fairly intelligent, no patience, but he can figure things out. The school wouldn't let him take the class. Instead, he was put in an upper-division foreign language class. Sounds more practical? Maybe. But, I do believe we have created an entire generaton of kids that their only choice in life is to be a CEO of some company. Yeah, whatever. Mechanics make a pretty good living. But I guess, we as a society would hate to see our off-spring do something sooooo menial. Again, whatever. It's an honest living....well, at least I have an honest mechanic.

I take his car into the shop today and just to get it up to "legal and safe running status," I am looking at a few grand. Is it worth it? My opinion is definitely, no. His? Kids just don't get it. I guess if it was his money we were talking about, things would be different.

Alls that I have to say to anyone who reads this blog and that have kids under 12, enjoy them!!!!!! Enjoy the hell out of them!!!!!! Try and find some majic potion that will inhibit them from becomming teenagers or young adults. I seriously wish I could have. How I long for the days that I came home from work and almost broke my ankle on a train or train tracks. How I wish for the days that they were playing with Hot Wheels as opposed to the real deal. Hot Wheels were so much cheaper, more reliable AND, definitely, safer.

Parents:::::::: Enjoy those little ones! They may seem demanding, unreasonable, even sometimes unlikable. But, thank God, each and everynight for them and the fact that they are not TEENAGERS! Yuck!