Cars and Other Obsessions

Matthew is growing up. The toddler who enjoyed his "Things that go" board book has evolved into car obsessed 6 year old.  He is bringing home ever more technical car books from the library. So far we have explored the history of hybrids and Ford Mustangs. There have been a number of advantages to his interest. For example, he likes to read the make and model of all the cars he walks by on the way to school. There are, however, a number of disadvantages like being interrogated about whether a Ford Mustang accelerates more quickly than a Chevy Camaro, whether my old Jetta went faster than Leila's new Chevy, or whether a Ferrari goes faster than a Lamborghini all while driving the car or making dinner. Fortunately for Matthew, Leila has an appreciation for fast cars and some knowledge. However, even she was finally so exasperated by being asked about how fast Ferraris go that she took the boys to the Ferrari dealership so Matthew could interrogate the salesman himself.  The salesman was surprised. I finally googled "fastest car in the world" because he doubted the accuracy of my guestimations.  Stewart has taken advantage of this development to introduce Matthew to Formula One racing and Top Gear (the BBC version).

For those of you who will see him soon, expect to discuss the following:
1. What kind of car do you drive?
2. Can I see it?
3. How fast does it go? Does it go faster than (someone else standing nearby's) car?
4. Is it 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive?
5. Is it a hybrid?
6. The fastest production car in the world is a Bugatti Veyron Supersport. It goes 267.8 mph
Here is a link with the list of the top 10 fastest cars: Better study up!

The trip to the Ferrari dealership may prove to have been a pivotal moment for Matthew. In the course of their discussions, the salesman told Matthew that if he worked hard, he could buy a Ferrari someday. And thus was born, Obsession #2: Commerce.

Matthew seems to have realized he needs funds. At the moment, he would like to buy gum and a battery powered kid drivable toy car. His initial plan was to go into sales. So far we have discussed the relative merits of trying to sell his old toys in a yard sale (not efficient) vs a lemonade stand. Matthew is also thinking about selling homemade paper products - paper planes (several different types) or paper fans. He decided paper hats were no good because they never fit. He also considered entering the service sector and would like a job pulling up the errant mint in the garden. Stewart and I are scrambling to make sure we have chores vs paid work properly defined.

Never a dull moment.