Gummy Bears and Juice Boxes
There will be gummy bears ground into the back seat. And a juice box leaking onto the floor.
This isn't the family minivan, but your classic car, the one you've spent countless hours working on in the garage. The one you've spent three times more money on than you told your spouse. But it's a small price to pay for the joy it brings the kids as they get to experience riding in your classic car. It doesn't matter if you're driving a rusty 1986 Volvo 240 or an ICON FJ44; they love the experience.
In the Beginning
I've always been drawn to unique cars. Growing up I loved seeing hot rods out on the road and always wanted to have one to drive myself. Rather than blending in with the sea of beige sedans and hunter green minivans, they looked fast, purpose built and exciting. They exuded the owner’s personality.
Years later I was looking to buy a project car to create my own ride. After scouring listings I found a 240Z I could afford… but there was more rust that I was ready to deal with and plenty of foot room for Fred Flintstone to drive. A little while later I found what would become my Beetle. It was a little rough around the edges wearing its original ruby red paint, but a solid platform to tear down and refinish. Plus my brother had experience with VW’s as he’d built one a few years earlier, which made the learning curve much less steep.
Life With Kids
As life moved forward, we had a few kids. Owning extra toy vehicles and having kids often has the effect of either selling the fun cars to make way for a minivan or tucking it in a back corner to hopefully pull out one day. Or find a way to strap in a car seat and bring the kiddos along. We didn’t sell the car, but it did find itself waiting in the garage much more often than pre-kids. The sensibility of using a car that is reliable, has working heat and came off the dealer lot with seat belts tends to win out when you just need to get the family somewhere.
But kids are curious. What is that mysterious, curvaceous, car that Dad gets anxious about whenever we get close? Why is it special?
If there is one great thing about life, it is sharing your passions with your kids. Including them in the activities that bring you joy. And that means finding a way to strap a child seat designed to meet a billion safety standards into a car that was delivered with seat belt mounting points but no seat belts.
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Share the Joy
Taking the kids along to a cruise-in is a new kind of fun. They probably don’t know what each car is, let alone the difference between a Mustang and a Mustang II. While you might get excited over a bone stock unrestored Alfa Romeo, they’re more likely to get excited over the lime green Lamborghini. But be honest; you were also more excited about the Lamborghini when you were eight. So you have to balance pointing out the beautiful Pininfarina design language with enjoying the LED strobes syncing to the bass pumping out of the Dodge Magnum. One day they’ll learn to enjoy fine design, but for today they’re enjoying dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets.
Don’t Forget the Snacks
Speaking of food, they’re hungry already. Yes, you just arrived, and so it’s time for a snack. You did bring a whole bag with you, right? Juice boxes, water bottles, gummy fruit snacks, crackers and apple slices are a good start. Throw in a roll of paper towels too, because there will be spills, just like in the back seat of the family minivan. In reality, successful family outings typically require more snacks than can be consumed during the duration of the outing. In case of emergencies, there’s also Slurpee’s at 7-11.
You get to enjoy your passion while sharing it with them, which is truly the biggest joy.
At the end of the day, you get plenty of benefits. The kids get out of the house for a few hours (more if you break down!). They learn about cool old cars and you get to share your joy. You get to enjoy your passion while sharing it with them, which is truly the biggest joy. And as a bonus, you get a good excuse to head back out to the garage spend time with your treasured toy because you now need to vacuum the crumbs off the floor mats, peel the gummies off the velour and wet vac the Slurpee off the seat back. Plenty of wins for sure.
