My No-Bias Boy
My 5-year-old son LOVES cars… and trucks, and SUVs, and crossovers, and hybrids. He loves buses too, any type of vehicle, really.
He knows all the different brand logos and names and points them out to me in traffic. I honestly think this helped him learn to read.
“Look Mom, there’s a Honda.”
“Mom, there’s a Chevy!”
And his favorite,
“Mom! It’s a Toyota!”
Both of his grandmothers have Toyotas, thus, it IS his favorite type of car. And the topper this year: his preschool teacher drives a Toyota too- he’s over the moon! Yes, 5-year-old boys care about this kind of stuff.
I’ve made a point to not talk about car prices with my son. I don’t want to convey, even subconsciously, that when something is more expensive, it’s better. Because, especially us moms know, that is just not true.
He makes no judgment on how cool a car is in relation to its price.
It’s so fun to look at the world through his eyes- with no bias; if a car has a cool trunk, or headlights, or door handle, he points it out and he thinks it’s cool. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Honda or a Hyundai, a Volkswagen or a Volvo, a Fiat or a Ferrari.
But it really hit home the other day.
I took my car in to be serviced at the dealership and we had to wait for a few minutes until it was done.
I looked across the street and said, “I’m going to show you a car you’ve never seen up close before.”
We walked across the small street to the (very small) Bentley dealership. The door was locked, but was opened for us. I asked if we could look at the 3 Bentleys they had in the small showroom. The guy at the desk said, ‘sure’ and continued his phone conversation. We were the only ones in there. There’s a slowdown in the economy right now, but frankly, I don’t think the Bentley showroom is ever mobbed.
We looked at the cars… he especially liked the tires on one of the models.
We looked them all over, they are beautiful cars. And as we walked to the front of the showroom with all glass facing the street, my Little Guy exclaimed,
“Look Mom, a Toyota!”
My son saw a Toyota drive by and was thrilled. The guy at the desk almost laughed, and gave me a look like, “Are you kidding me?”
But I got it-
No one he knows has a Bentley. No one he loves drives a Bentley.
He appreciates ALL CARS; My son realizes that all cars are created equal and merely help people in their journey for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
But, cars that mean the most to him are cars that belong to people he cares about.
Thanks for the reminder, my Little One…
So here’s to cars, big and small, fast and slow, bright and dull.
Here’s to little eyes who see their value for what they are,
A convenience, a help, and that is all.
By the way, if you are looking to buy a Bentley, first of all- good for you, congrats,
Click here for the Bethesda Bentley website; after a Google search, I believe it is the ONLY Bentley dealership in the DC area.
An abbreviated version of this can be read at DC Metro Moms.
Comments
One Comment on My No-Bias Boy
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Kate Coveny Hood on
Tue, 10th Mar 2009 4:41 pm
I love it that he bases his car appreciation on the people who drive them!
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