Overheated Car Teaches Kids Pre-Mechanics

It was a lazy summer day when we were driving back from having all kinds of assorted fun on the road when my driver noted the car was overheating. We were almost back to our hotel, so we managed to skate in without stopping on a wing, a prayer, and since we didn’t have either of those things on hand, sheer luck.

We let the car cool off overnight, but when morning came and it was time to head back out, I ordered the best mechanic on my staff to handle the issue. Since we didn’t have any mechanics of any skill on staff, I had to go with the next best thing, my barely 9-year-old brother.

My driver popped the hood and opened the radiator, then gave brother Patrick nothing more than a few empty water bottles, a hose and a couple assorted fingers pointing in various directions.

I figured we were doomed, but I was delighted to be mistaken.

Patrick, ever the curious and helpful sort, filled the water bottles and poured them into the radiator until it was a bit more than full. Sure, he might have left a bit of water on the ground, but it’s a small price to pay for someone like him to fix our trusty interstate travel wagon.

I guess the lessons here are two:

1 – Don’t count out the kids just because they don’t have experience. They’re often willing and eager to help, and this could be the greatest learning opportunity of the year.

2 – Whenever possible, kick the dad off the job and let the 9-year-old fix it. His instincts seem better in my opinion, and I’m practically famous, so if celebrities get to blog about politics, I get to give you advice on fixing your car.

Also, if you’re going to take a road trip, have a mechanic give your ride a serious once-over, because it may have little problems you won’t notice in a day of driving that could leave you stranded on a thousand-mile journey.

ABOVE: I’ve heard it said that fixing a car is elemetary, so who better to fix it than my brother; he’s in elementary school, and honestly, he did a fine job at cooling down the overheated ride.