Will I never Learn?

[lloyd3]

Nice day here yesterday. Didn't have to work and even got to sleep-in a little, what luxury! Mom even made a killer breakfast, heaven! The boy and the dog were bouncing off of the walls by early afternoon, so I acquiesced to a trip down to the dog park. I had planned to meet a fellow for lunch earlier in the week so the car was uncovered and relatively easy to extract from the garage.  I seldom get the car out on the weekends anymore because of ever-increasing traffic issues here, but what the heck, how often is November 1st in the low 70s?   We ran the dog until a bunch of folks showed up with some pit bull mixes. This little female doesn't do well with some of the bigger dogs, so it was time to go. Instead of going home, since it was so nice, I decided to run a quick errand to Wal-Mart for a couple of things I'd forgotten on an earlier honey-do mission. As the traffic began to thicken as we went north, I started to drive just a bit more aggressively to stay out away from the  traffic clots (urban swarms of econoboxes and minivans) that form at lights and intersections now. Something fairly easy to do with a 440 and a stick, right?  Way too much fun, so much so, that I started to enjoy myself a bit too-much (not my normal Daddy driving habits).  My son wasn't helping much, chirping happily everytime I made a hard pull to put some distance between us and the traffic following us up to the lights.  We got to Waldo World and it was an absolute zoo. I parked out in the jing-weeds and made my 10-year old stay with the car and dog. The checkout was everything I've come to expect at Wal-Mart on a Saturday, and it somehow served to even put me more on edge (not a crowd guy, never have been, and I detest waiting in lines to buy silly, crappy stuff). Got back to the car, fired it up and headed for the exit.  Going home was even worse. Six-lanes of combat! Got to the last light and there it was.....a terminal plug of left-lane slow-coaches stacked up on the middle and far-left lanes, 6-cars deep. Only one little SUV was camped in the right lane so I pulled up behind him and hoped for the best.  The road ahead climbs a slight hill and is new, wide and clear for about two miles before cresting over the hill and dumping left into my development. Over the years of owning this car, I have enjoyed climbing this this stretch in fairly aggressive fashion, chortling merrily as I was leaving everybody behind me in my wake.  The cops don't have a good place to sit anywhere, so it's a pretty safe bet to enjoy the car one last time before putting it away. The light changed and the SUV made a good start, opening a big hole to my left and I took it, completely forgetting the impressionable young man occupying the passenger seat to my right. I grabbed second hard, the tires wailed, and I hammered third, more wailing, and ran it up to 4 thousand plus before shifting briskly into 4th. The traffic behind us simply disappeared. Then it hit me, I had just displayed exactly the wrong kind of driving habits to my sweet, Catholic-school educated, little boy.  My wife is so proud of me (he told her all about it, of course!)

Will I never grow up?

[lukedukem]

Down here in Texas it happens a lot, as far as weather, But in Colorado, probably not that often. Right on about the traffic. Weekends anywhere poses a threat of high traffic. But good for you to take advantage of it.  

Luke

[Dino]

I go out and find traffic like that for the fun of it.  I went to a football game yesterday at college so you can imagine what traffic was like and I loved every minute of it.  Today I made a quick run to the store and I park wherever there's a spot, I never park on the outskirts.  People pay more attention when I park the beast next to their mini van.  The day I stop driving my Charger for fear of it getting damaged is the day I wil sell it, but I uderstand not everyone shares my philosophynd that's cool.   

Yeah not the best impression to leave on your kid but he'll live.   

Just tell him that's not how you're supposed to drive before he gets his own license.    

[bakerhillpins]

Then it hit me, I had just displayed exactly the wrong kind of driving habits to my sweet, Catholic-school educated, little boy.  My wife is so proud of me (he told her all about it, of course!)

Will I never grow up?

Trust me when I say (from the bad end of the experience spectrum mind you), You are still there for him, taking care of him and giving him a good family and childhood. These "displays" typically end up giving fond memories and make bonding moments that not all of us get.  

[lloyd3]

Thanks for the kind words, but I still feel a little like a schmuck. This is a late in life child and is our only, so he's pretty sheltered. I've no illusions about some of the challenges facing this generation of kids coming on, so I want him to see things pretty clearly and analytically. I'm pretty hard on him about privileges and the responsibility that goes with them..... and then I go and act like a juvenile delinquent.  I hate to say it, but these types of cars always  brought out the wrong kind of behavior in me.  I was a bit of a misfit and a smart-ass, from the wrong part of a fairly backward part of the world, and I always had a chip on my shoulder. I seemed to only see the worst in the authority figures of my world, and went out of my way to raise a little hell in defiance of that authority (it didn't help that most of them were dumber than cow-flop and getting away with it was very easy!). I just don't want that for him, because I know how little slack kids get cut anymore.  What I did yesterday was selfish, stupid and dangerous and I don't have an excuse for it. I'm closing in on 60 but I still get a little jiggy when I lite up a musclecar, this musclecar. God-damn it, poor impulse control and parenthood don't mix.

[Dino]

It's alright man, nobody got hurt.  Sit down with your son when the time is right and tell him what you told us.  It's all part of learning and growing up.  You can't save him from not making any mistakes, but you can teach him how to learn from them.

[lloyd3]

Dino- You're right. Nobody got hurt. Wise words.  Snowing here today, how quickly things change.

[bakerhillpins]

I don't know, I guess I still think you are beating yourself up a bit more than you should. There are degrees to everything and as we all know it's all based upon perspective. 

[Drache]

No you won't learn

I have the bad habit of squawking the tires (or a neutral loud rev of the engine) on the Dart whenever a group of young kids give me thumbs up on the Dart.  Kids these days seem to be into the foreign cars so much I worry about our old classics. So whenever a young kid takes notice, I try to give him a little show. Something that he'll remember for awhile!

[wingcar]

You may have to grow old......but, you never have to grow up.......

[lloyd3]

If growing up means becoming a fossil, then no. But.... I was hoping for a bit of wisdom, and perhaps, some grace? Maintaining adolescent behavior until middle age, and then beyond, is an indication of some major personal flaws. I obviously still have lots of work to do.

[68X426]

If growing up means becoming a fossil, then no. But.... I was hoping for a bit of wisdom, and perhaps, some grace? Maintaining adolescent behavior until middle age, and then beyond, is an indication of some major personal flaws. I obviously still have lots of work to do.

There's no redemption without sin.

It's all ok. 

[73rallye440magnum]

Lucky kid  Thanks for sharing. He'll turn out just fine.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

If growing up means becoming a fossil, then no. But.... I was hoping for a bit of wisdom, and perhaps, some grace? Maintaining adolescent behavior until middle age, and then beyond, is an indication of some major personal flaws. I obviously still have lots of work to do.

At least you have the wisdom to recognize that what you did wasn't in your young son's best interest so to speak. Like already mentioned, have a talk with him about the situation and how you feel about it. I think that will make a good impression on him.