The Moped

Our youngest son recently purchased a moped. He has a job now and relying on his parents and their untrustworthy cars was getting to be a hassle. He is sixteen, but by group decision (the group being Jeff and me) it was decided he wasn’t quite ready for the responsibility of operating a 2-ton vehicle amongst unsuspecting, innocent citizens. The moped is his chance to prove he is ready for said responsibility.

It has amazed and amused, and to be perfectly honest annoyed me in no small measure, to see the sense of power and freedom the moped has given him. I am old, but not old enough to forget the thrill of getting your driver’s license and offering to run every errand possible just to have a reason to get behind the wheel and hit the open road. What I don’t remember is becoming so instantly possessive of my vehicle that no family member could get within 10 feet of it without me having a panic attack. The first time he let me test it out he literally ran beside me for the first 100 feet trying to jump on the back of the bike so he could tutor me in the finer details of moped operation. Me, who has an unblemished driving record of almost 28 years (two deferred speeding tickets don’t really count!) To say I was more than a bit insulted would be stating it lightly.

Perhaps a week ago or so Christian rode to a neighboring town 10 or so miles away to hang out with a friend. I donned my mom hat with a handful of pertinent questions before his departure. Was his phone fully charged? Did he have a water bottle? Did he have plenty of gas? All were answered in the affirmative. 15-20 minutes later I received a phone call from him informing me that he had made it about halfway but believed he was running low on gas and had pulled into the one gas station on his route. Problem…he had no money, would I please drive over and fill him up. Remember: moped purchase was made to make life easier for all of us. Due to the before mentioned undependable car I was unable to do so, however after a bit of brainstorming and trying to figure out how to remedy this situation we realized I could possibly give my debit card information over the phone should the clerk allow it. After negotiating the deal, he filled his tank….all $.88 it would hold. I’m glad to see him demonstrating a cautious side, it is not his nature, but needless to say he panicked a bit too quickly and was nowhere near running out of gas. I don’t remember ever spending such a small amount on gas. My sister and I once had to scrape change off the floor of the car to put $1.06 in our tank so we could get home, the difference was that afforded us over a gallon of gas back then.

Another lesson learned AMP (after moped purchase) was that driving a moped in no way, shape or form makes you look cool. About a week after the purchase Brittany and I decided we would ride tandem into town and fill the tank for Christian. Mayhem ensued, a gas pump was almost taken out, and a curb was almost accidentally jumped. Suffice it to say, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne had nothing on us, we were definitely dumb and dumber looking for certain!

The moped has also heightened my natural tendency to worry. When Christian leaves for work I mentally ride along with him and anxiously await the required confirmation text that he made it safely. If it is delayed by more than a few minutes I am picturing him lying on the side of the road wounded and wondering where his mother is. I must admit it has been easier having his freedom restricted to where and when we could transport him. I'm not quite ready for my last little baby chick to fly away.

Alas, despite my reservations, I must conclude by giving kudos to my son. He has made some progress in proving himself ready for the responsibility of driving. Look out world, Christian might be behind the wheel sooner than we thought!