The Brakes..........

The kid came home Friday night and of course we were glad to see him. It's still weird knowing our 19 year old kid is out riding the interstates like he does. He got off work Friday at 5 and headed to Charlotte. With the Atlanta traffic he didn't get to our house until a little after 11, of course we don't sleep when he is on the road like that. But he made it safe and sound.


He's now driven back and forth to Pittsburgh and Atlanta a few times all ready. The kid travels more than a truck driver! That's not really true but he rides more than your average person. He's pretty good at it, he hasn't ran out of gas yet. Plus he's pretty good at watching his surroundings. I drove a truck for 5 years so I have a little bit of advice to give him.


Believe it or not most people are really nice and really do like to help others. That might be hard to believe but it's true. We have already had friends who can't believe we let him travel by himself like that, they give us looks like we are bad parents or something. I work with a guy who won't go to the grocery store without a hand gun. He's convinced somebody is out to get him at all times.


Other people have asked if I even purchased him a gun to carry. That one makes me laugh! The world isn't that bad! Lighten up and trust your surroundings. The kid is mature enough to handle travel and life 300 miles away. It's all in how you treat them, if you don't expect them to be adults they probably won't act like adults.


How I managed to get it right still baffles me! The only thing I did with my kids that might have been the ticket would be the fact that I always made them my friends. I have always been here and always listened. I passed on jobs and other opportunities that would have helped my wallet but not my home time. I guess what I did right was made the boys priority number one.


When I put "The Brakes" on about the year 2001, and took my old job back. That was the turning point, the exact moment when I made the right decision. I made that decision with my family in mind. Not money, I took one hell of a pay cut to do it and never regretted it.