Our Guardian Angels Are Working Overtime

When we first moved to this house out in the country, Bryce was ten. That first summer, we went to a neighborhood garage sale in the next town over and happened upon a two-seater go-kart for sale for $350. Knowing we had the perfect scenario for go-kart ownership (a large meadow in front of our house), and having just ripped the boy from the comfort of the only life he'd known, we seized upon the opportunity and bought the darn thing. Although it has provided many an hour of great fun, the thing has been down far more often than it has been working and we have plunked out WAY more than a few hundred dollars to keep it going year after year.

The go-kart runs on a small lawn mower engine (follow this link for a brief video of the go-kart in action and two adorable photos of my younger guys when they were toddlers). Bryce strained the engine and the belts to the breaking point many times by attaching a rope and a sled to drag one of his friends behind the go-kart as they whipped around in circles out on the meadow. One time, he and his friend, Ian, decided to try to mix things up by having Bryce, the passenger, steer while Ian, the driver, pressed on the gas. They ran smack dab into a tree, wrenched the steering wheel right off, and damaged the frame of the go-kart.

I think I had forgotten how reckless Bryce used to be with the go-kart until I reread those earlier posts about his behavior with the go-kart. This summer, my husband had the go-kart repaired yet again so that our younger boys (now 11 and 8) could use it. While Sean is a fairly careful driver, Trevor makes me cringe in concern. It seems like his goal is to get the go-kart to balance on two wheels or something. What he doesn't seem to understand is that going on two wheels leads to real danger. These boys laugh at danger because they have no experience with it.

Sunday evening, I had $10 in Kohl's cash burning a hole in my pocket and the added benefit of a one-day $10 off a $30 purchase offer. Bryce has been needing a new pair of jeans because one of his labs requires they wear jeans with no holes (the trend is to wear those ones with the rips - why people pay big bucks for clothes that look like they've been worn to shreds is fully beyond my realm of understanding). Thus, I left the boys in the front yard, go-karting, with hubby putzing around outside, tending his flowers and such.

When I returned home, all was quiet on the Western front. Trevor was in his room and Sean was in the living room working on homework. As soon as I walked in, though, Sean came running over to tell me that they had an accident with the go-kart. It flipped over while they were riding in it and Trevor landed on top of Sean, crushing him. Apparently, Trevor was driving (he's the most reckless driver out of the three boys) and when he attempted a turn, before they even knew what was happening, the go-kart went onto two wheels and then toppled over to its side, with Trevor's weight coming full onto his brother. Even though they were both wearing seat belts, Sean was pretty banged up and showed me his scrapes and bruises (on his arms and the back of his waist). Trevor did something to his elbow and has been complaining about dull pain in it ever since.

When I went in to see Trevor, he was very somber and subdued. I'm pretty sure John exploded when he saw what they had done (after assisting them in righting the thing). Trevor said the go-kart won't run now, and it was leaking oil or gas. This, after just plunking down several hundred more dollars to get the thing repaired so they could use it this summer. I tried to impress upon him the blessing in the scenario - amazingly neither of them were seriously hurt. When I picture the damage that could have been done, I shudder. It was probably Trevor's weight which kept the thing from flipping completely over. One of them could have broken their necks and been paralyzed or killed.

The go-kart is history. Hubby said he is unwilling to plunk another dime into its repair (it is really difficult to find mechanics who are willing to repair go-karts because they cause so much physical damage and, after an accident, people often attempt to sue the last person who worked on their go-kart). I can't say I'm sad to see it go. While I love seeing my boys have a good time, it always put me on edge worrying about the possible injury and death scenarios. I'm so thankful this accident didn't bring any of those scenarios into reality. And as grateful as I am that nothing happened to my boys, I'm even more grateful that this accident didn't happen with one of their friends in the go-kart. Who knows, maybe their friends' guardian angels don't work overtime like my sons' angels do!

Boys are such BOYS!

There are times when I chuckle to myself and say, "I just don't understand boys." This afternoon, I chuckled in that way when I looked out the kitchen window while preparing a quick dinner for MS. ES was in the back yard with his friend, Ian. They had built a bon-fire and were holding sticks with burning tips. Suddenly, Ian put one to his pants to pretend that it was a part of his body. Of course, my son had to follow suit. I stood there wondering why boys feel such a need to do that all the time.

It didn't stop there. Next, they proceeded to whip their real parts out and pee on the fire. They put it out with their dual streams of urine. Even viewing it from afar, I could tell that this was a moment of triumphant accomplishment. What's up with that? When I mentioned it to my husband, he said, "Yep, they're boys all right!"

Now, there are other times when I don't chuckle when I say, "I just don't understand boys." Unfortunately, I had one of those moments this evening. As MS and I left for the Preschool Open House, I had to stop and yell at ES. He and Ian were in the go-kart and had driven across the street to our neighbor's fine circular driveway (I think ES views it as a mini-go-kart range).

Earlier this week, he tried that for the first time and I told him he must first seek their permission. He didn't bother to go ask, but that night, our neighbors arrived at our door with a treat brought home from England (their son lives in London and they went over to welcome their first granddaughter). I mentioned his actions and they granted permission any time he likes (this is their country house, where they keep their horses, so they spend much of their time in a different home in Indianapolis).

Last night, my husband had informed me that he cancelled that permission because he caught ES crossing the road from our house to theirs ... right in front of an oncoming car. Hubby said ES didn't even look. So, I leaned my head out the van window and reminded him that his father had forbidden this. He began to argue about it being the best smooth track. I reminded him why he lost the privilege. I should have instructed him to put the go-kart away. Alas, I was in a hurry to get going.

When I returned home, after a lovely time out with just my MS, I was greeted by my ES. He informed me that he and Ian had crashed the go-kart into a tree and wanted me to come see it. What? Did he think I was passing out awards for kids who could wreck a vehicle? Did he think I would ooh and aah? He took me around back, while explaining what led up to the accident.

"It was Ian's fault. He was driving and I was steering (WHAT?) and we came around the corner and instead of releasing the gas, he pushed on the gas and we went right into this tree! The steering wheel came off. This bar right here is bent a little bit. Oh, and this thing back here is kind of off place now."

I was furious. And he couldn't seem to figure out why. I began to launch into him. Last year, he was content to ride around the meadow. He was careful enough, we would let him take MS for a ride. At the beginning of the summer, my husband watched him carefully take YS for a ride.

In the last few weeks, things have gradually deteriorated. He started having friends come over and ride with him. They attached a sled to the back and would go go-kart sledding. This led to allowing other kids to drive it (something my husband and I had a few conversations about, but never came to a final agreement on).

Then, the boys discovered some sort of bee or hornet nest in the ground out in the meadow. They brought out fly swatters and would drive by swatting at the things. I expressed my grave concerns, but my husband said to let ES get stung to learn the hard way. Next, he began riding the go-kart down the hill in the back yard and up around to the front meadow (uneven terrain). Of course, the speed gradually increased. Then came the venture to the neighbor's driveway. And finally, tonight ... full speed, into a tree!

I tried to replay this video (of the gradual deterioration - not an actual video) so that he could see how his recklessness has increased and caused him to take bigger and bigger risks. He tried to shift the blame. It is HIS go-kart and HIS responsibility to drive it safely and HE bears responsibility if HE allows someone else to drive HIS go-kart. And, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING HAVING ONE PERSON STEER AND THE OTHER CONTROL THE GAS!!!!!!! Of course, ES felt that my husband didn't blow up nearly as much about the whole thing.

I informed him that he would be paying for the repairs and I'm also thinking the go-kart is no longer HIS! He lost the ownership, when he didn't take care of it properly. I had just been mentioning the go-kart to my nephew, Eric, and asking him to come visit so that he could take a ride on it.

When I asked my husband why ES thought his response was gentler, he suggested that it is probably because he is a guy himself and knows how guys think. He understands that boys think they are invincible. Boys think that nothing will ever happen to them. Boys think that a crash is cool. Boys think the experience is worth whatever ill comes as a result.

Well, I might just be my son's worst nightmare for a few days. I doubt I'll be able to change the way he's hard-wired. The thrill of the crash may still seem worth his mother's wrath, but I have to vent my inability to get my brain around this kind of behavior! Half of me is jumping up and down inside, thanking the Lord that both boys weren't injured in the accident. The other half is jumping up and down, fuming that they didn't at least get whip-lash to teach them a lesson!

A Boy's Paradise

Our home truly is a boys' paradise. I keep encouraging friends to visit, but we have only had a few. Perhaps a quick view of fun on the go-kart will entice some of our friends to visit this summer.

My husband tells me that the last time I headed out for the evening, they all went out and rode the go-kart. He even let my ES take the YS out. Boy, is that brave! I was pregnant when ES saw the go-kart at a garage sale and convinced my husband to pay 2/3 of the price. I have to admit, there were times when I really wanted to drive it, but I waited until the spring after YS was born. It is terribly bumpy, so I would have been foolish to attempt it during the pregnancy.

Here are two recent photos of the little guys, too. I am so thrilled that the weather has allowed us to get out more now. I find the winters so long, trapped inside with two little stir-crazy boys. Of course, being outside is a bit stressful because the baby is at that curious age where you have to watch him every moment to make sure he is not eating bugs, rocks, dirt or sand. He also noticed MS walking on the stone wall which surrounds our driveway on one side. So, last week, when I wasn't paying close enough attention, he managed to toddle to the middle of the wall and then fell over the side. I was horrified, but he seemed to be o.k. after the tears subsided.