I recently purchased a power meat grinder. It is a loud, powerful brute with a 10A current draw and a three-pound hopper.
The box was sitting in our driveway when we came back from our monthly "date" with Belladonna. Bella was in the minivan and offered to move the box.
After moving the box, Bella gave me a saucy grin.
"You know, Dad, there is an app for that" she said.
"Whaddya mean?" I asked. I could not imagine a smartphone app to run a grinder. This grinder came with a foot-pedal but it didn't say anything about WIFI connected.
"There is an app called 'Grinder'...but it is probably not for you" she told me.
I took a peek after she left. She was right. It is VERY MUCH not for me.
Company
We have company coming on Saturday. Part-and-parcel of being empty-nesters. This promises to be interesting. It is an eclectic group of people showing up.
I also promised to watch Belladonna compete in a Cross-fit competition in a community that is a two-hour drive away. She was describing the various challenges...doing pull-ups while flossing their teeth with a silk thread held between the toes of their feet. Shooting eggs with a BB gun while standing on the shoulders of a team-mate who is riding a unicycle through an obstacle course. That kind of thing.
Tires
Kubota is learning that "cool" and "economical" are usually at opposite ends of the spectrum.
I think many parents face the same kinds of tension we face. How much "failure" do you allow a child to enjoy before presenting a solution? There is not a single, right answer. The diversity in our kids and in our parenting choices creates a broad swarm of people with different skills and world-views.
One solution that would allow him to have his cake-and-eat-it-too would be to re-shoe his ride with stock rims-and-tires. He can keep the "cool" (but bald) ones for the weekends when he goes 4-Wheeling with is buds and drive the stock-sized Street-front and A/T rears to work 50 weeks of the year.
He may crap all over the idea but it is a thought. Stock tires are 1/3 the price of the "Mudder-Frs".
Mrs ERJ remembers that we helped other kids with tires. Tires and brakes and oil-changes.
You should definitely help your children as much as you can without enabling self destructive behavior. Buying him tires and wheels might be helpful help.
ReplyDeleteYou just had to go look...bet that was a surprise.
ReplyDeleteFailure: depends on the kid.
ReplyDeleteYou can't treat all your kids the same. They are different kids.
ReplyDeletesam
It wasn't my parents but a friend that introduced me to the local used tire shop....
ReplyDeleteI have a 19 year old boy who is sputtering and stuttering after high school. I know your pain. How much rope do you let out before they start to hang themselves?
+1 to Belladonna's Grinder joke.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of help, there is the consistently applied assistance and the individual child assistance. My parents, as an example, did some of the things you describe (car maintenance comes to mind) across the board for both my sister and I, but did individual assistance for each of us as our needs were different. We are finding that is the same with ours as well.
ERJ, I do not recall you sharing the third oeg of the dynamic involving Kubota; namely, that between him and Belladonna.
ReplyDeleteoeg = leg
Delete