Scoot Before Zoom: Learning Responsibility With A Gas Scooter
SCOOT BEFORE YOU ZOOM
One of our customers sent us a play by play of a situation that he went through with his son and he thought that we might like to share the story with our readers, and we said "of course!!!".
€I can't believe this!€ a young man shouted. €Are you seriously going to let me drive today? For real?€
€I promised, didn't I? Can't go back on a promise.€
The garage door rose and a pair of men stood in the driveway, peering into the garage. The early morning light bounced off of the shiny red chassis of a small vehicle, having been freshly washed and waxed. The chrome parts of the two-wheeler were like mirrors, polished and exquisite.
€I don't understand, Dad,€ the son said. €I thought you said you were going to give me a driving lesson.€
€I am. Hop on.€
€But that's Karen's scooter.€
The 50cc engine underneath the red exterior could be coaxed to life with a turn of the key that the father had in his hand. He took his son's hand, pried open his fingers, and slapped the key into his palm.
€Nothing gets by you, Kevin. You have to walk before you can run, son. Today you're going to learn about self-control behind the wheel.€
€Karen uses this to go to the deli for her job. It's not your Mustang. Plus I've ridden it like, a thousand times.€
€Yes, but only when you and your friends were horsing around. You want to go for your learner's permit next month, right?€ Kevin nodded affirmative. €Right. So, you're going to have to learn some control behind the wheel.€
€There's no wheel. It's a scooter.€
€Listen. Don't let the fact that your sister rides this just for work fool. That's an X-Treme XG-505, and you know from riding it before that it has some kick to it. You used to beg me for one of your own.€
€Yeah, when I was like 14 years-old.€
€Here's the deal: you show me you can handle this scooter and we'll talk about a car of your own after you get your permit.€
€Okay, so do you want me to go up the block and back or something?€
Kevin's father handed him a helmet. €I had something a little more challenging in mind. Walk it around back and see for yourself.€
After Kevin had sighed from disappointment and strapped on his helmet, he kicked the kickstand and walked the bulky scooter around the side of the house. Their driveway extended to the back yard, where there was enough asphalt for Kevin and his friends to play a half-court basketball game.
There was no sporting equipment in sight today, however. Instead Kevin was surprised by an obstacle course that his father had constructed that morning, built from saw-horses, road cones, and ropes. The saw-horses and road cones were lined up to make pathways, while the ropes were lying across the flat surface in areas to replicate traffic lanes.
€You've got to be kidding me,€ Kevin blurted out.
€What's the matter?€ his father asked. €Scared?€
€This is awesome! Can we make a jump?€
€Kevin, I want you to take this seriously. If you get through my course then€"€
Kevin started up the XG-505 with a huge smile on his face. €Get ready to co-sign for another Mustang, Dad!€
The scooter lurched forward under Kevin's guidance, zipping around the lanes that his father had created. The power of the 50cc engine was impressive, given its size. However, Kevin quickly realized that the course wasn't designed for racing.
He skidded up against one of the cones, knocking it over. The turn he was trying to take was sharper than he had anticipated and he hadn't adjusted his speed accordingly. Coming up on the next bend he shot over one of the ropes, too, and almost lost control.
When he had finished he switched the scooter off, removed his helmet, and looked at his father. The older man looked on silently, nodding.
€Not bad,€ his old man finally said. €What do you think?€
€I get what you meant about control,€ Kevin replied. €I guess I never really thought about it before. Every time I was on the scooter before I was just trying to go as fast as I could. But I can't do that going into turns. It's not like a video game.€
His father smiled, beaming with pride. €Exactly right, son. I'm glad you got the point of the exercise.€
€Can I run it again? I bet I can do it this time without hitting anything.€
His father paused and looked over his shoulder into the back window on the house. He stepped closer to Kevin, whispering, €Want to put a jump at the end?€
€Yeah! Totally!€
€I get a turn after you. Just don't tell your mother.€
One of our customers sent us a play by play of a situation that he went through with his son and he thought that we might like to share the story with our readers, and we said "of course!!!".
€I can't believe this!€ a young man shouted. €Are you seriously going to let me drive today? For real?€
€I promised, didn't I? Can't go back on a promise.€
The garage door rose and a pair of men stood in the driveway, peering into the garage. The early morning light bounced off of the shiny red chassis of a small vehicle, having been freshly washed and waxed. The chrome parts of the two-wheeler were like mirrors, polished and exquisite.
€I don't understand, Dad,€ the son said. €I thought you said you were going to give me a driving lesson.€
€I am. Hop on.€
€But that's Karen's scooter.€
The 50cc engine underneath the red exterior could be coaxed to life with a turn of the key that the father had in his hand. He took his son's hand, pried open his fingers, and slapped the key into his palm.
€Nothing gets by you, Kevin. You have to walk before you can run, son. Today you're going to learn about self-control behind the wheel.€
€Karen uses this to go to the deli for her job. It's not your Mustang. Plus I've ridden it like, a thousand times.€
€Yes, but only when you and your friends were horsing around. You want to go for your learner's permit next month, right?€ Kevin nodded affirmative. €Right. So, you're going to have to learn some control behind the wheel.€
€There's no wheel. It's a scooter.€
€Listen. Don't let the fact that your sister rides this just for work fool. That's an X-Treme XG-505, and you know from riding it before that it has some kick to it. You used to beg me for one of your own.€
€Yeah, when I was like 14 years-old.€
€Here's the deal: you show me you can handle this scooter and we'll talk about a car of your own after you get your permit.€
€Okay, so do you want me to go up the block and back or something?€
Kevin's father handed him a helmet. €I had something a little more challenging in mind. Walk it around back and see for yourself.€
After Kevin had sighed from disappointment and strapped on his helmet, he kicked the kickstand and walked the bulky scooter around the side of the house. Their driveway extended to the back yard, where there was enough asphalt for Kevin and his friends to play a half-court basketball game.
There was no sporting equipment in sight today, however. Instead Kevin was surprised by an obstacle course that his father had constructed that morning, built from saw-horses, road cones, and ropes. The saw-horses and road cones were lined up to make pathways, while the ropes were lying across the flat surface in areas to replicate traffic lanes.
€You've got to be kidding me,€ Kevin blurted out.
€What's the matter?€ his father asked. €Scared?€
€This is awesome! Can we make a jump?€
€Kevin, I want you to take this seriously. If you get through my course then€"€
Kevin started up the XG-505 with a huge smile on his face. €Get ready to co-sign for another Mustang, Dad!€
The scooter lurched forward under Kevin's guidance, zipping around the lanes that his father had created. The power of the 50cc engine was impressive, given its size. However, Kevin quickly realized that the course wasn't designed for racing.
He skidded up against one of the cones, knocking it over. The turn he was trying to take was sharper than he had anticipated and he hadn't adjusted his speed accordingly. Coming up on the next bend he shot over one of the ropes, too, and almost lost control.
When he had finished he switched the scooter off, removed his helmet, and looked at his father. The older man looked on silently, nodding.
€Not bad,€ his old man finally said. €What do you think?€
€I get what you meant about control,€ Kevin replied. €I guess I never really thought about it before. Every time I was on the scooter before I was just trying to go as fast as I could. But I can't do that going into turns. It's not like a video game.€
His father smiled, beaming with pride. €Exactly right, son. I'm glad you got the point of the exercise.€
€Can I run it again? I bet I can do it this time without hitting anything.€
His father paused and looked over his shoulder into the back window on the house. He stepped closer to Kevin, whispering, €Want to put a jump at the end?€
€Yeah! Totally!€
€I get a turn after you. Just don't tell your mother.€
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