When our children are born it’s hard to believe one day they will be grown which is where we are with Charlie. He will be turning 19 around Christmas. I have a question where did all the years go?
Being Throwback Thursday, I thought it would be fun to remember things from Charlie’s childhood. Today I’m thinking about who used to do all the driving around our family.
David. Just a couple months ago David drove everywhere. Even though I could drive I haven’t since before Charlie was born because I never wanted to.
Now? If we need to go anywhere more times than not Charlie does the driving. I’m grateful, thankful and blessed Charlie can drive now but sometimes I want to go back to where David is the only one who drives.
After thinking about it for a few minutes, I’m starting to wonder if maybe I should have appreciated David’s driving a little more. Laughing out loud. Although there were some days he scared the beejeebies out of me and I wish I could have walked. LOL
When Charlie was little, he had a Jeep and a Corvette. Now, before you get too excited, these weren’t real cars. We bought them for him at Toys R Us. But to Charlie, they were very real.
I would walk along beside him while he drove his little Jeep and Corvette up and down the sidewalks, taking us wherever we wanted to go. He even had his very own Kids R Us driver’s license.
And no, we didn’t get his driver’s license at Kmart during a Blue Light Special. Although with as much trouble as were having getting them I wish we could pick them up from K Mart.
That was a joke from back in the day when dinosaurs would roam the face of the Earth as Charlie likes to say. When people would ask people if they got there driver’s license at Kmart?” Then they would follow it up with, “Was it a Blue Light Special?”
Back in the day people thought that was pretty funny. Charlie says, not. It’s a dad joke and he doesn’t appreciate people making fun of his driving because quote unquote he is a good driver.
As you can see Charlie, takes his driving very seriously. From the time he could walk. Just ask my sister decided who thought it would be fun to ride with him in his toy Jeep when he was about 5.
It was getting kind of dark, but they decided to go driving anyway. Let me tell you something. That Jeep took off. Down the curb they went. Down into the yard. Over the bumps. Over the curbs.
And I’m pretty sure my sister got a whole lot more adventure than she had planned on. OMG. You think driving around in Grand Theft Auto is bad? You should have seen Charlie driving that Jeep!
Somehow, we survived those days. And now that little boy who drove a Toys R Us Jeep around the sidewalk has grown up and instead of driving me in a car on Grand Theft Auto he is driving a real car.
Charlie recently managed to buy himself a car, and I am very proud of him for doing that. But I’m going to be honest. His driving hasn’t gotten all that much better.
I love my son. I really do. But there are times when he comes walking in and says, “Come on, Mom, let’s go on an adventure!” And I think, Oh boy. Here we go.
Then there are the times David rides in the front seat with him. All I hear is: “Slow down.” A few minutes later: “Slow down.” And then, probably because Charlie didn’t hear him the first two times: “SLOW DOWN!”
I swear I’m going to buy a mask and put it over David’s eyes so he can’t see Charlie driving. Because apparently watching Charlie drive is almost as stressful as actually being in the car with him.
And then there’s the music. Back when David drove, we could listen to the music we wanted to listen to. Ol’ Time Rock n Roll or Country music. Nice, peaceful music. Music I was able to talk over and could hear myself think with.
Now we get into Charlie’s car, and the music is so loud I can’t hear myself think.
know there is probably a proper name for the music he listens to, but I’m just going to call it Charlie music. He turns it up, gets behind the wheel, and apparently thinks he’s Mario Andretti.
Meanwhile, I’m holding on. Charlie looks over at me and says, “It’s okay, Mom. You don’t need to hold on. I’m a good driver.” Well, son, I’m glad you think so. I’m still holding on.
Maybe one day he’ll learn that the speed limit is not just a suggestion and that when Mom says, “Slow down,” she isn’t saying it because she enjoys hearing herself talk.
But until then, I guess I’ll keep reminding him. Because that’s what moms do. We pick our battles. Would I like Charlie to slow down? Absolutely. Would I like the music turned down? Absolutely.
Would I like to feel like we’re taking a peaceful drive instead of competing in the Indy 500? That would be nice, too. But then I think about that little boy in his Toys R Us Jeep.
I remember walking beside him while he drove up and down the sidewalk. I remember his little Kids R Us driver’s license. I remember thinking it was cute that he wanted to drive.
And now that little boy is grown. He bought himself his own car. He drives his mom around. And every now and then, he still says, “Come on, Mom. Let’s go on an adventure.”
And you know what? I love that. So maybe I’ll keep holding on. Maybe I’ll keep telling him to slow down. Maybe I’ll keep asking him to turn the music down. And maybe, Lord willing, one day he’ll finally listen.
But if he doesn’t? Well… As a mom, you pick your battles. And if I have a son who will take me to the store whenever I want to go, I suppose I can deal with his driving. Because that is what makes me grateful, thankful and blessed.
Underneath all the jokes, all the loud music, all the “slow down” reminders, and all the holding on for dear life, I’m just a mom who is thankful that her little boy grew up.
The Toys R Us Jeep is long gone. The Kids Toys R Us driver’s license is a memory. The sidewalk driving days are over. Now Charlie has a real car. And apparently, he has somewhere we need to go.
So when I hear, “Come on, Mom. Let’s go on an adventure,” I guess I’ll grab my purse, get in the car, buckle my seat belt… And hold on and PRAY we get where were going and back home safely because its much easier to pick my battles than argue with Charlie over his driving.
After all, Throwback Thursday reminds us just how quickly those little boys become the ones driving us around.
✝️ Glenda 🐸 David 🎮 Charlie 🦋 Suzanne
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
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