David Councill wrote:
>Then to further delay the repair, my 12 year old son seemed to take an
>interest in the repair.
>(got to raise the kid
>right, don't I?)
Good for you. I feel a peculiar obligation to mention that it's worth your
time (and the kid's) to include practical lessons on safety. Too many times
I've taken a shortcut or done something stupid that could have brought me to
grief. Ever watch Funniest Home Videos and thought to yourself, "if that
guy had even an ounce of brains, he wouldn't be doing that"? Some of the
boners I've pulled would have put me on their All-Time Biggest Nitwit Special.
Hello? The car almost ran over me. Chock the wheels next time.
Whoop! The car DID run over me. I should have made sure the parking brake
was set before removing the chocks.
Gah! Sparks! Mental note: disconnect battery before fooling with starter.
Yikes! It fell off the jack. Where'd I put those jackstands?
Aieee! Brake fluid in my eyes! I should have worn some safety glasses.
That brake fluid thing made me do some *major* thinking about how many
bullets I've dodged over the years, and made me realize that my luck
couldn't hold out indefinitely. I can't count how many times something has
struck me in the face, but it never before occurred to me that it could have
just as easily struck me in the eye. Get the kid some safety glasses and
teach him to wear them whenever he's working on the car (you do the
same--teach by example, ya know?). It's too easy not to do.
By all means encourage his interest, but be sure he knows that there's a
right way to do things and a wrong way, and the right way will always make
itself evident if you do a moment's thinking. The potential rewards are
limitless, but there are more than a few hazards.
Ok. Done preaching. Hope you take this in the spirit in which it was intended.
See ya! (Ooo. Bad pun.)
--
Jay Tilton / jtilton@vt.edu (vt = Virginia Tech)
http://fbox.vt.edu:10021/J/jtilton/index.html
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