Birthdays, Big Wheels, and sparklers: could there be a better combination?
That's me back on July 2, 1974, obviously having a blast. Today that kid would be wearing a helmet, a shirt, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be allowed to carry anything that's on fire.
I'm not one of those guys who spouts clichés about "kids today being too soft" because they're given safety equipment. What kind of a parent wouldn't want their kid in a helmet?
But I also have fond memories of riding in the back of pickups, sitting in the middle in the front seat of a car where there were no seat belts or airbags, and even sitting on my dad's lap and getting to steer the family car. But that was the 70's. Today all of those activities are illegal, and Charlotte will never be able to do them.
But so what? I've never used an outhouse, I’ve never
drank tar-water as a medicine, and I’ve never spent a day wraslin' a bear. And those are all good things to miss out on.
So, until she has her learner's permit, there's no way Char's getting behind the wheel of our car. Besides being illegal, I've watched Charlotte trying to steer her tricycle. There are reasons those "new" laws exist.
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