It’s been a chilly Spring in Atlanta. Watching little league games wearing ski goggles just doesn’t seem right. The weather feels like it’s never going to change, but we know it will.
This slow change of seasons reminds me of our kids when they were little. As infants, it was hard to envision them walking or talking when rolling over wasn’t yet in the realm of possible. As toddlers, it was hard to imagine them organizing a backpack for school when drooling on the head of a Pez dispenser was the day’s only priority.
Your call, Blake. College or this car?
Now, my oldest is only a couple of years from high school!
As they say, ‘time waits for no one’.
The last year and a half or so there’s been a noticeable change in my kids’ interests. I won’t give the complete inventory turnover, but right near the top of the list is cars. More specifically, they like anything with an engine that looks cool and goes really fast.
So when that Dodge Charger nearly takes my front end off cutting over three lanes of traffic at high-speed without signaling, they notice.
“Awesome, Dad! Did you see that car?”
“Um, hell yeah I saw it. I was about to take a tour of his trunk!” On the plus side, at least he’s getting full use of the road my tax dollar helped pave.
la dolce vita
Our latest outing of the Dads’ Bucket List crew got our kids up close and personal with cool, fast cars and awesome driving. Don’t worry moms, we pulled it off in a much safer way than weaving in and out of Atlanta traffic.
We lined the kids up with ride alongs in exotic cars (think Lamborghini, Ferrari, GTR) on a course driven by professional drift racers.
The kids piled out of the minivan when we arrived. It was like they couldn’t create enough distance from the loser cruiser fast enough. “Just remember who brought you to the dance, you ingrates!”, Special K yelled after them.
Already on the course was a Ferrari taking squealing turns while smoke came out of the tires. It was so much like The Fast and The Furious that I half expected Vin Diesel to emerge from behind the wheel.
It wasn’t hard to figure this was going to be a very cool experience.
Their tastes have become a weee more expensive than Happy Meal toys
Just before one of the kids was ready for his ride in that same car, the driver blew out the right rear control arm on a turn. I figure the repair bill on that was about one and a half semesters of college. Tuition fees are pretty much how my mind does math these days.
The kids who signed up for the Ferrari had to settle for the Lamborghini. Hey, life’s rough.
Needless to say, not one of them complained with riding in this piece of Italian art. In fact, they all had a blast as evidenced by the delight on their faces when each emerged from the ride.
The change in plans was another reminder that whether slowly or rapidly, in life, things do change.
Just like the interests of two little men who still live under my roof.
Go. See. Be. Do.
Dads' Bucket List 