Cars and Cribs

Well, now that my Geo Metro has rendered a less-than-what-we-put-into-it check (see 3 Bad Things), the family is shopping for a new vehicle. We’re hoping to not only replace the Metro, but the two-door Pathfinder that we’ve had since before the Emancipation Proclamation. I’d have to say that the most interesting place to look for cars, in my opinion, is Craig's List. It's a customizable classified advertising website. Most web users know about it and if you don’t, you might want to check it out. In some ways, it is superior to eBay, depending on what you want from it.

I’m hoping the wife will allow us to buy a nicely-running, kid-friendly, semi-gas-efficient vehicle for family use and a nicely-running, Wildcard-friendly, semi-gas-efficient sports car for the guy who always tries to fold his 6’1” 280-pound frame into such breadboxes as Geo Metros and prehistoric Toyota Corollas. I don’t really mind the fact that I tend to attract the attention of smaller vehicles, considering that I don’t think huge trucks and SUVs speak my language.

We did, however, purchase a family-friendly Dodge Caravan for an outstanding price (thanks, Craig’s List). We’ll be taking it in for some minor work on Monday, but this will allow us to possibly sell the SUV and snag a decent car for me.

It’s rather fun traveling as a family. Maybe not quite as much as National Lampoon's Vacation fun, but it nevertheless has its shining moments.

During one of our recent quests to diminish the volumes of baby clothes that our children have outgrown, our family arrived at a certain shop that dealt not only in secondhand clothing, but also other items for smaller children. It’s a nice store. There’s a huge selection of clothing to choose from. It’s located only a sort distance from a state highway and the front of the building is all plate glass, allowing the proprietors to display all manner of rug-rat paraphernalia.

As our vehicle pulled neatly into the parking space, my daughter piped up from the back seat, “Poppy, I want to go in and see the animals.”

At first, I glanced around at the various other shops located next door and nearby. None of them were pets shops, nor were any animals apparent. Confused, I turned in my seat and asked her what she meant. She pointed directly at the store in front of us, the children’s store, and restated that she wanted “to go in and see the animals” and added “in their cages.” I turned back to look at the shop and saw what she did through her eyes. You see, our children co-sleep. It’s a healthy, natural process that involves loving your children more than desiring to lock them away in a dark and lonely room for 10 hours.

“Oh my,” I said, suddenly feeling a bit sad for all of those children that have been stored in one of these, “Those aren’t cages for animals, honey, they are cribs.”

“Cribs?”

I found it difficult to explain to her that they were, in fact, beds for small children. She didn’t understand why they looked like cages. Unfortunately, I do. It’s because they are.