Resilience seems to be a popular word in parenting circles these days, as in teaching your kids to be resilient. It’s a hard world out there after all, and they need to be ready. I’d say independence goes hand-in-hand with resilience here. Kids ought to be able to think for themselves, make decisions, and run with it. In our household, the catch-all phrase to address these sentiments is “use your best judgment”. I’m always happy to answer questions — and there are many — but sometimes the children should figure it out for themselves. There are endless examples of where this mentality applies in the real world, but I’m a car guy, so that’s where my brain goes first.
I remember working on my first car, a wacky Mitsubishi Starion, with my dad in the driveway one day.
We were changing the brake pads, so had the wheels off. The job didn’t get finished before dark — because no projects like this EVER go to plan — and rain was in the forecast.
I asked my dad if it was okay to leave the wheels off overnight with the impending weather. He looked at me for a beat and said, “What do you think?” There was no trace of sarcasm; he clearly just wanted me to think for myself. After a moment of reflection, the answer was obviously yes, as all those components are exposed to the rain whether the wheel is on or off.
It stuck with me and seems especially relevant as my eldest closes in on driving age.
She’s interested in cars, which helps, but I’d argue that teaching kids the basics of car ownership gives them a leg up on the resilience and independence game across other scenarios. Specifically, the relatively simple things like changing a tire — never know when you might get a flat – and checking fluid levels.
To make it happen, there is a 1969 Triumph TR6 moving into our garage shortly. As luck would have it, a friend who owns this car needs help getting it back on the road, but is not all that comfortable with a wrench. I have no idea what it’ll take to do so, but am comfortable with a wrench. And so, we’ll be trailering it across town for a summer of automotive madness, I mean, LEARNING.
Old British sports cars are notoriously quirky and known for being challenging to fix.
However, they’re also small, wholly mechanical, and the perfect laboratory for teaching kids how cars work. And, assuming we can get it running, my daughter will learn to drive on a 2-seat, droptop, vintage sports car.
It’s hard to say who’s more excited at this prospect – okay, it’s me – but there is no doubt as to the long-term benefits. She is already a confident kid, but once she knows how to change a tire, fill up the washer fluid, change the oil, and drive a stick, I’d say it’ll give her the, ahem, tools for a lifetime of confidently navigating the world.
