Sam is first on right laneMy little brother did the Pinewood Derby. I can remember he and my father getting the cars ready, but mostly my dad sitting back and watching, assisting when asked.
And so it went with Sam and Tom. They worked on their cars during a Den meeting and didn't do much more than that. No study in aerodynamics, no sanding of wheels, no WD-40 in the axles. Just plain old father-son doing a task together.
However, this isn't how it goes in every house. On the official weigh in night, a father was heard bragging about the events that will unfold on Saturday. "I'm gonna drink beer out of the winners cup after we win."
I noticed a handful of fathers cheering on "their" car with no cub scout in sight. A joy on their face unlike a proud father watching his son and more like a selfish win. Some of these same fathers had a disappointed look on their faces, unlike that of the fathers that let their sons make their very own pinewood derby car.
Not only was I saddened by this pathetic display of manliness - or manlessness - my heart sank when I looked at this face.
Sam doesn't take losing very well at all. In fact he is downright horrible at it. We are working on it, but it is rough. He was crushed.
And so was I.
Until, my son said, "Well, at least I can win the award for not getting a speeding ticket."
Yes, Sam, that is surely your prize.
No comments:
Post a Comment