Robert N

Spent an awesome day playing with my 3 1/2 year old son. Went to the zoo, McDonald's for lunch. I highly recommend it!

Shark Racer

Need to get me one of those women thingies before I can get me one of those 3.5 year old son thingies!

All the forum dads I've met seem to be great w/ their kids. Tom Woehr's boys (Mark and Ronnie) are very well-behaved for their age. And Chuck Harmon's daughter is marrying me the second she's legal! (j/k Chuck... yes, I'll go call the parole officer now...)

-Steve

Fevre

You and me both Steve. :cry

NHvette

Yes - my priorities have been temporarily set aside while "busy" getting a
project completed at work.

My boys (6+8) start a ski program on 2/14. Sking every Friday night.
I plan to attend a few Friday nights with them. ( I don't want them to
become better skiers than me - yet).

Also, we are very involved in Cub Scouts. This is a great organization to
spend son/parent time together doing fun things. Last year, our pack
overnighter was a sleep-over trip on the USS Salem - docked in Quincy MA.
It is a destroyer - like the one shown below - about 1/4 mile long.
That was fun !! This year, our sleep-over trip is to the Museum of Science in
Boston. To top it off, on the night that we will be sleeping there, the
Egyptian mummy exhibit will be there !!! My youngest is scared to death
of mummies. HAHAHAHA - should be a fun night scaring the kids.

3 1/2 is old enough to help Dad with the vette, too. I had my kids helping
with brake bleeding at 4-5. I pump - they open and close with a wrench.

98RKC

Ok, When can he come over :lol:
I know what you mean, last week my 7 yr old and I went to the Freestyle ArenaCross downtown. What a blast :cheers:

Jvette73

Awsome. My youngest is 7 now. Kids are great. One of the fun things is, you as an adult get to relive your youth thru them. Get down on the floor and play matchbox cars with em and all that. Show em the ropes so to speak. Things are a bit different these days though. If we try we can still reflect on some quality times from the past. Kids are the perfect link.

Gordonm

I have a daughter 11 and son 9. Go to every one of their games and coached a season of girls basketball. Am now helping coach my sons roller hockey. I just got into Nitro RC cars with my son and now spend all my Corvette money on this with him. I have 3 RC cars now. Definitly reliving my youth through him. It is now a fight to see who gets to run the cars. Kids are :cool:

OHSIXX

My son was and is a great kid. They are so enjoyable in the early years. I also had a ball with him in the eight to ten year range. Something happens at about 15 and a transformation occurs.

Fifteen to almost nineteen has been more difficult. They become their own person weather you like it or not. Most of it I like, but some of it I do not care for. So, am looking for another transformation into adulthood. :)


[Modified by OHSIXX, 6:16 PM 1/30/2003]

gmcclurg

Took the day off today and the family went skiing. Had a great day even thought he kids (son 12, daughter 10) are into that Snow Boarding thing. I don't kow how they turned out to be Knuckle Draggers. But they are great kids and actually like to work on the cars with me

Paul L

Robert, this is a very important topic. Thanks you for bringing it up. At some point in life most of us face family and other challenges that tax our emotions. Some of which give great pleasure (the football final for 12-year-old Johnny) but others can be miserable such as the death of a good friend, a serious illness in a child, layoffs and financial problems, and the list goes on.

As an Old Geezer, I have run the gamut. Heart disease and cancer has claimed both old and more recent friends. But I have a four-year-old God-Daughter that the Wife and I accepted life-time responsibility for and it is an absolute joy to see her progress in life. Sunday is her birthday and can you spell...SPOILED? What the heck....

At the other end of the age spectrum my Mother is 83 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer last April. Could not remain in her home of over 30 years. Anyone who has been through this will know that people will Alzheimer will "forget" such things as the stove being on. They are a threat to themselves in isolation. Last summer was a whirlwind of hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, assistive devices, medical insurance plans, etc. But it was sorted out for her final years. And she is now in a fine retirement home with all the care that she needs. And I am pleased with that. Meant that the Corvette stood still a lot but my priorities were clear in my mind.

So this is my answer to your post. I guess it puts a bit of a damper on your joy but my message is that when you get down to the nitty gritty, a Corvette is just a hunk of fiberglass and steel. It can be stolen, burn or be written off in an accident. Some memories will endure in those instances but nowhere close to the joys/memories of friends and family members who are still with us or who have passed on. Sorry to be so serious! But again thanks for posting.


[Modified by paul79, 7:28 PM 1/30/2003]

Rolling Thunder

I'll see your 3 1/2 year old son and raise you 3 1/2 year old grandson! :lol: Mason and just came in. Been out in the garage with the lights off. Just the boy and his flashlight looking for monsters. :thumbs:

I just doesn't get any better than that for me. :D

terryrudy

I *rarely* have time to drive the Vette, let alone work on it and tinker what with family stuff consuming 98% of my free time. I enjoy it all very much, but of course there is no familyforum.com (and if there is, I'm sure it would put me to sleep :sleep: ). :) Its always fun to blow steam off talking about Vettes. Now back to my normal life. :D
-terry

PRNDL

Not every day I hope!! :lol: MJ

petty44

my 5 year old daughter keeps me busy :crazy: helps me work on the vette and her 4-wheeler :smash: :smash: I also was an assistant coach on the "T" ball team lots of laughs at those games.... they grow up so FAST!!! bushog

Robert N

Paul,

Thanks for the input. Your being serious only reinforces why I did what I did (and don't do enough). LIfe has too many uncertainties and we get caught up in life. We need to take the time to enjoy time with family and friends.

I do the everyday things, bathe him, get him ready for bed, I ususally get him dressed for preschool, go to his "itty bitty" sports, while the wife handles the parties and the much of the rest. I work so many hours as a business owner that those extra days mean quite a bit.

Seems that we have a good group of dedictaed family types here - all the more reason I hang out.

Tominator

There is a saying and I don't remember the author but it goes like this;

When I was 15 years old my dad was so stupid I coudn't stand him. When I turn 21 I discoveried that he wasn't so stupid after all and now I like him.

I was surprised how much he had learned in 6 years. :lol:


**************************************** **********************
On a more serious note my 13 old son died a year and half ago. Last Friday was his birthday I don't know that I will ever get used to celebrating it at his grave. We go there and bring him flowers and then we each release a ballon and watch it float toward heaven and think of him. :sad: :cry :( :blueangel:

IETEK

I agree I have three Kids the oldest of which is a 20 year old girl (or should I say young woman) then I have two boys they are 13 and 15. Believe me they go through a change at that age. It isn't an easy time for anybody involved. Although, if you hang on they eventually find their brains again. The worst thing to do is let their "will" out last yours. then you have a real problem.

HANG TOUGH,IETEK :iagree:

standup

Although my wife and I don't have any children (I believe we're called DINKERS), we have other family commitments (my Brother-in-Law, terrific guy, has muscular dystrophy). Originally, my wife was anti-Vette and it was in my mind my selfish toy, but oddly enough my wife loves it and I get to take my brother-in-law to car shows in style, something we both love to do.

At any rate, it's good to hear positive stories about family rather than the horror rubbish we get from the media.


Steve-- I thought Vettes were suppose to pull the babes??? :lol:

scottw

Fevre and Pacin'California,
Before you get the kids make sure you spend 3 1/2 hours with the women thingies first! :lol:

BTW, I have a 14 and 4 year old. They are both great!!

theandies

I love playing with my 3 year old son. Toys are soooo much cooler now then they were when I was a kid. He is into pirates and has a really cool pirate ship that we play with. He loves working and driving in the Corvette. He rides with me even if its just to back it out into the driveway :lol:
Here he is about a year and a half ago helping me install my ZZ4.


Kids are great fun, I just wish there was a pill he could take to keep him 3 forever...ya he can be a pain-in-the-butt sometimes.......but he is at a great age IMHO. Think I'll get off this computer and go play with him now.
John