Mustn’t it be wonderful when your child starts pestering you for something you’ve always wanted? At last, you have the excuse you needed.
While we were on holiday in Albany, P took Dynamo to the Go-Cart Track. They were there all afternoon and came back with a million photos of go-carts taken from every angle. In fact, I’m surprised they didn’t ask the owner of the place to turn one upside down so they could take a photo of the underneath.
From then on Dynamo’s conversations always got back to one topic – when was he going to get a go-cart? P didn’t take much persuading. He started checking out ‘how to build a go-cart’ sites on the Internet. He visited anyone he knew who had a go-cart. He got plans from here and parts from there and I didn’t see him or Dynamo for weeks while they were holed up in the workshop, banging and crashing.
Each evening I’d get a long and detailed rundown from Dynamo as to what they’d got done that day (or what Dad had got done while he was at school). Phrases like ‘braking systems’ and ‘steering columns’ and ‘differential’ (or lack of it) became part of everyday conversation. At first it sounded like a great idea. Then the word ‘rollbar’ came up and I began to wonder what on earth they were building. The ones they rode in Albany were small, as you can see, so when this monster rolled out of the workshop, I nearly had a fit. My ten-year-old driving that? No way!
But I swallowed my motherly objections and bit my tongue. Much as I’d like to wrap my boys in cottonwool, this is just the sort of thing that they love, isn’t it? And I didn’t nickname Dynamo without reason. Kitted out in his crash helmet and harness, he has a whale of a time zooming up and down the track and round and round the paddock by the house. His dad does too, though he goes a lot faster and I can’t watch him. Even Eldest, who showed no interest whatsoever in the building of it, enjoys a burn around the track after school. What is it with men and speed?
Meanwhile Sausage and I stand and watch them, coughing at the clouds of dust they kick up. I’ll have to start thinking of a mother and daughter project.
While we were on holiday in Albany, P took Dynamo to the Go-Cart Track. They were there all afternoon and came back with a million photos of go-carts taken from every angle. In fact, I’m surprised they didn’t ask the owner of the place to turn one upside down so they could take a photo of the underneath.
From then on Dynamo’s conversations always got back to one topic – when was he going to get a go-cart? P didn’t take much persuading. He started checking out ‘how to build a go-cart’ sites on the Internet. He visited anyone he knew who had a go-cart. He got plans from here and parts from there and I didn’t see him or Dynamo for weeks while they were holed up in the workshop, banging and crashing.Each evening I’d get a long and detailed rundown from Dynamo as to what they’d got done that day (or what Dad had got done while he was at school). Phrases like ‘braking systems’ and ‘steering columns’ and ‘differential’ (or lack of it) became part of everyday conversation. At first it sounded like a great idea. Then the word ‘rollbar’ came up and I began to wonder what on earth they were building. The ones they rode in Albany were small, as you can see, so when this monster rolled out of the workshop, I nearly had a fit. My ten-year-old driving that? No way!
But I swallowed my motherly objections and bit my tongue. Much as I’d like to wrap my boys in cottonwool, this is just the sort of thing that they love, isn’t it? And I didn’t nickname Dynamo without reason. Kitted out in his crash helmet and harness, he has a whale of a time zooming up and down the track and round and round the paddock by the house. His dad does too, though he goes a lot faster and I can’t watch him. Even Eldest, who showed no interest whatsoever in the building of it, enjoys a burn around the track after school. What is it with men and speed?
Meanwhile Sausage and I stand and watch them, coughing at the clouds of dust they kick up. I’ll have to start thinking of a mother and daughter project.
4 comments:
Awesome. I wish I was technical enough to build something like that for my kid. But even if I could, the neighbors would complain and the police would tell me how these Go-carts can be used on public roads and paths.
What mean-spirited neighbours and police you have over there, Luc!
I suppose that's one advantage to living on a farm - no shortage of space and lots of distance from the neighbours!
Good for you, restraining the motherly instinct and letting the kids be kids.
Oh wow, this looks like a lot of fun!
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