Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Driver's Ed

I haven't decided if this story is a little funny or just sad. The headline made me chuckle, but the more I think about it, the more I think about how he could have been seriously hurt. (I'm trying not to judge anyone, and I certainly don't blame mom for going back to sleep after the kid goes off to school, but wouldn't you want to make sure the kid gets off safely to school before going back to sleep?)

Boy, 6, misses bus so he tries driving to school:
Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family's sedan - and crashed. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28524924/from/ET/

The main thing that sticks out to me is this: this kid could have had the whole day off. He could have snuck back home and played in his room for a while (as he obviously got into the house without waking up his mother). He could have gone to some fun place. But, no, he wanted to go to school. He was desperate to go to school.

Any kid with that much drive to go to school should go far in life.

4 comments:

Language Lover said...

Maybe I'm a particularly naive mom, but I'm kind of shocked that a 6-year-old could figure out how to drive a car. I don't think my 5-year-old could figure out how to turn the key in the ignition and shift the car out of park, much less steer or brake (how'd he reach the pedals?) or anything else he might have done.

I assume it wasn't a manual transmission.

S said...

Do you suppose he stood up to reach the pedals and still see? And assuming it was the kind of car where you have to have your foot on the brake before you can shift out of park, how'd he figure that out?

I'm telling ya, this is a bright kid who could have a big future. As long as he can survive his childhood.

BellsforStacy said...

"any kid with this much drive to go to school ..."

Or it's really not that great at home, and it's better at school.

I've seen some six year olds that take on quite a bit of responsibility in the face of adults that won't do it themselves. Unlocking cars, getting siblings out of said cars, making dinner (heating up hotdogs, etc). It doesn't surprise me that a six year old would attempt this, but it does make me sad. I'm kind of thinking CPS needs to investigate.

And no quote from the mother in the story either makes me suspicious.

S said...

Yeah, that was my other thought and part of what made me sadder and sadder the more I thought about the case.

According to cnn's headline to a video clip (side note: please, cnn, include a written report along with those video headlines), the kid drove 10 miles. How on earth did he manage that?

I'm sure there is going to be a police and/or cps investigation, probably already begun, which is probably why no quote from mom. She certainly wouldn't help herself by being misquoted or taken out of context in a national story.

 
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