Teens and Cars

We need to talk about cars. Why? I now have two teenage drivers in the house and only two vehicles.

This is my chance to inflict on, umm, instruct my kids in the vagaries of owning (or not owning) a vehicle. My darling and I have been pretty lenient for a while, letting the kids use the vehicles  quite a bit since they passed the Class 5 driving exam. We’ve tried to impress upon them the costs associated with operating a car – you know, insurance, fuel, tires, repairs, etc. This is especially important for our family, because we only have two vehicles and four drivers, with another learner on the horizon. They look at me blankly and ask why I don’t just use credit cards. Ahh, to be innocent again.

I can’t wait to use the cars as carrots. Imagine how much could be done around the house, now that two teenagers really, really, desperately, must have, can’t go without a car for tonight or they will never have any friends again for the rest of their lives. The opportunities are endless.

Some might think I’m nuts to let the kids drive right away (some think I’m nuts anyway you cut it, but I’ll get to them in another column). Let me remind you that all three kids go from Cochrane to Airdrie two to four times a week for Air Cadets. Eighty kilometre round trip. Four nights a week where I never had a social life, or any life for that matter. With two drivers that actually ARE Air Cadets, it’s freed my darling wife and I up so much that we are able to sit in our living room and stare at each other for hours. We’ve forgotten how to have a conversation that doesn’t involve kids, school or Cadets.

There’s a quote from a gentleman named Charles Sykes who really had it right. He has eleven rules for Life.  One of my favourites is Rule 7: “Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way by paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.” I hoist a beer to you, Mr. Sykes.

Back to the cars. Some of my friends and coworkers laugh at my vehicles. One is vintage 1990 and the other is a touch younger, rolling off the line in 1993. Another couple of years and the 1990 car can be classified as an antique! I hope it gets a senior discount at the pumps. Anyway, the people that laugh all have pretty new shiny cars. These are the same cars that when the temperature hits minus 25 C have a hard time turning over. Even the big honkin’ pickup trucks had a hard time this past winter. The folks weren’t laughing as my little car started every time. I didn’t laugh until I cleared the parking lot. No use in rubbing their noses in it.

The same folks have minor coronaries when someone has chipped the paint with a door or scratched the bumper in the parking lot. I can park my car anywhere and not worry one bit about thieves or door dings. Most take one look at my car and figure it’s abandoned and move on to the newer rig up the street. If someone bangs up my door, I’ll probably never notice.

Now you know why I don’t worry too much about the kids driving. Can’t do anything to my wheels that I haven’t already done. Then again, I’ve been wrong once or twice before….

They say kids learn by example, so I hope the kids follow my lead with vehicles. Actually, I hope they clean up my vehicles and start putting gas in once in a while. Using their own money. Too much to ask? We’ll see on date nights….