Pappy's thoughts on cars

Have you ever noticed that most teenage girls have no clue about cars - hey, they don't even care one whit about cars. That is, until they get close to that magical age of 16. (Or whatever age they begin to drive) My recently-turned 16-year-old daughter started noticing cars about 6 months ago. Oh, I like that car. What kind is it? Oh, I don't like the ones with boxy windows. I like cars with a little spoiler. You know what Dad, you could get me one of those. The closer she got to 16, the more of an "expert" on which cars are cool and which are losers she became. It was this really weird transformation.

But, also, as she approached that ripe old age of 16, she somehow became more and more convinced that the more she mentioned cars and which ones she liked, the more likely I was to buy her that car for her birthday. Even to the point that on her birthday, she was disappointed that there was no car waiting for her. I have no idea what delusions were controlling her mind but I had tried to make it perfectly clear there was no car coming for her birthday. What ever happened to earning your own money for your own car? I did it. Multitudes of people before me did it. We did without other things so that we could get that special item on which our dreams centered. And, by so doing, we came to appreciate those things so much more.

So, Pappy Yokum says, just hold your horses on that thought about owning a vehicle. Come down to earth and learn what it is like to want something bad enough that you will scrimp and save until you can purchase it on your own. When you finally get that model with the rounded windows and the little spoiler, you are apt to take better care of it. Just remember one thing, when your parents' car breaks down and they need to borrow your car, they put up with a lot of your guff for many years - it's the least you could do to return the favor.