Monday, January 14, 2008

Ooops!

This sign cracks me up.

Well, that didn't take long. About three weeks.

On Friday Em banged into another car whilst exiting a rather tight parking space because she turned her car too early. She got out, looked at the other car, didn't see any damage, so off she drove.

This happened at her school and since the kids have assigned spots, the girl who's car she crunched knew who did it and called Em.

Em then called me, in tears, asking, "am i going to get arrested?"

The thing is, the child is clueless about certain things. She truly did not notice the dent in the other car. When i got home, i looked at Em's car in the garage, walked into the house and said, "Let me guess, Heather's car is black."

"How did you know?" asked an amazed Em.



How indeed.

The other parents were cool. I called them up right away and made the arrangements. (This is one good thing about having Em at a yuppie private school, we know most of the other parents, and have known them for several years.)

One of you brilliant people needs to invent a padded parking space with sensors that kids can use to practice. Make it so.

42 comments:

Girlplustwo said...

oh, Em. dear heart. arrested. the love of her.

Anonymous said...

isn't there some statistic about most kids having some sort of bang-up their first year of driving? thankfully it was minor, but hopefully enough to make her more aware of those tight spaces. poor thing. by the way, I love that sign!

ms chica said...

Efficiency carefully masked as aloofness.

Scraped metal, or fiberglass is a costly lesson, but far cheaper than...gulp... the alternative. I'm glad both girls are okay. That is the important thing, right?

Bob said...

well, small dents ARE hard to see on black cars.

so, will it come out of her allowance?

tt said...

First car-boo-boo's are so traumatic aren't they? The spell is broken now so everyone can relax right? Think of the 'fun' that's yet to come...:)

Anonymous said...

when my son starts driving, i'm goin to hot glue a whole bunch of daipers to the front and rear bumpers and the edges of all the doors. i think this will kill two birds with one stone. it'll protect the car and also make him look so nerdy that he'll have troubles getting any girls in there with him to make out.

Liv said...

oh, em. dear, dear girl. and the first thing i thought was about what sort of impact i could make if i started tossing books at people!

meno said...

jen, i know, i know.

holly, yes, i know i had a scrape or two at first.

ms. chica, that is the important thing. The other car was parked, so no chance of Heather getting hurt. Thank goodness.

bob, we figured out that if we charge her $5 a month, she'll be done paying it back when she is 59. There will be consequences, but she can't pay for the whole thing. Stupid cars.

tt, it has been very traumatic. But in some ways, that's good. Makes her more cautious.

franki, excellent idea. I am looking for my glue gun now.

liv, that sign makes me think if that too.

Sienna said...

I did the same thing too, first year with license...except it was in a main street, the summer heat had melted the bitumen tar and I was not concentrating, perving at a blokes bum in tight shorts...my little sister, (even though minimal harm done-about same as above)started crying and said she would never ever trust me driving again.

That was kinda heartbreaking. Little sister's tend to think you are perfection.

The guy was so calm about me denting his fender, took my name and address and then asked me out!?

I couldn't mix accident with pleasure tho'.

Parking and that stuff is tricky for female brains Meno, a little wired differently for spatial ability.

Pam

crazymumma said...

Em baby.

I have a 1984 Black Trans Am.

I do.
I really do.

Your car looks like the angel to my devil.

what the hell you driving?

Scott from Oregon said...

A good friend of mine's daughter totaled three cars before she finally got pregnant.

thailandchani said...

Oh, geez.. yes... how about some sort of sensor that will beep? You know the ones I mean? Often we can hear them going off when a car backs up.

flutter said...

awwww em, i want to hug her

egan said...

Did this happen before our snow hit?

Don't you love those signs around the city? Can I borrow that image? I think those are the most ridiculous images for what they are trying to show. It looks like the sky is raining textbooks.

amusing said...

I blame Britney. She made it cool to bonk into a car while parking.

Marshamlow said...

Mine still doesn't have her license. She will be 17 next month. My husband is upset that she and I aren't working harder to move this along. But, secretly I am relieved. Glad that it was only a minor scrape. I caused three accidents in my life they were not pretty.

Mrs. Chili said...

Yikes. So sorry. This is why insuring young drivers is SO DAMNED expensive!!

Lynnea said...

Yes but I'm wondering about the emotional collateral damage - like is the other girl still mad at Em? Is Em feeling it difficult to return to school? Of course, I'm betting there were hugs and tea involved.

Also, whenever I start to wishing I were younger with more energy and slimmer curves, perhaps I'll remember the angst that comes with it.

Buck up Em, we've all been there.

TTQ said...

I had my own auto body guy until I was 25. Then suddenly after that my mom quit giving me cars and fixing the body work. Go figure.

Allison Horner said...

That is a great sign!

TOO FUNNY that she thought she could be arrested. :) Thankfully the other girl's parents were understanding.

It must be nerve-racking having a driving teenager!

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the other girl's parent made her call.

This was a pretty good way for the inevitable first accident to occur, I think. Thought- and consequence- provoking without real fear or danger.

furiousBall said...

That's a good first dinger. I slid into the back of a Subaru wagon while turning into the HS parking lot, left a big ding and a $500 repair bill.

I'm glad it was only a minor first accident that will teach her a bit of a lesson.

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

D'oh!

I laughed heartily reading this post and for that, I deeply apologize.

But still..... Too funny!

peevish said...

I remember being just that dense about stuff like that. I still am sometimes. I'm glad you were able to work things out peacefully.

meno said...

pam, yeah, but was he cute? That might have been an inducement for saying yes if he was cute enough. Does your little sister trust you now?

crazymumma, Toyota RAV 4. It has 8 airbags and a 5 star safety rating. My mom makes me drive it. I'd prefer the Trans Am. Em.

scott, Then i guess Em has a way to go before she gets knocked up.

chani, The Mister has that beeping thing on his car. He backed into my brother's car anyway.

flutter, i hugged her for you.

egan, it happened Friday, so yes. This sign is from Alki. Borrow away.

amusing, and made it cool to boink in cars too. :)

marsha, Em didn't get her license until about a month after she turned 17. I was in no hurry, but her dad was.

mrs. chili, yes, because they don't know what the HELL they are doing!

maggie, Em doesn't see Heather on a daily basis. But i am forcing her to send an e-mail (at the very least) apologizing. She feels really embarrassed.

ttq, smart mom. I'll remember that.

alli, nerve-racking is an understatement. What were we thinking? She was so cute when she was little! :)

de, no, i don't think they did. The damage, while not extensive, will be expensive.

furious, i would be thrilled if this was only going to be $500.

peevish, i was that dense too, so i know how it is.

QT said...

Too late for this party, but I agree with liv - I thought the sign was a warning about throwing books at first!

Oh Em - I guess her cherry is popped on the whole car deal now -thankfully, as others pointed out, without injury.

sari said...

oh I did that in high school, I remember. parking sucks. well, not now, but it did then.

Lynn said...

Someone needs to invent cars that are made of gas, so that when (not if) there is contact...no harm would be done.

Poor Em.

egan said...

Alki you say? That explains everything. People in West Seattle are reckless types. They aren't to be trusted. I might just borrow. Whoever thought this image conveys a good message without words is silly.

Diane Mandy said...

My friend's son just started driver's ed. He's not even my boy, but I am nervous just thinking of him behind the wheel. I don't know how you parents do it!

peevish said...

Also, maybe Em needs: this

I have one in my car right now, and he is very soothing.

Princess in Galoshes said...

Hee hee. It could be like "Bumper Driving!" Everybody wins, even if it takes twice as long to get there from bumping down the parking lot on the padded fillers so much. :-)

Schmoopie said...

Stucco still gives me crap about when I peeled back the bumper of our Saab while trying to get out of a tight spot.

I was 23, Em!

Unknown said...

Oh! I recently parked in a parking lot that had 1 foot wide rectangles painted instead of lines. When I saw it, I thought, "Oooh! Padded parking spaces!"

I can't for the life of me remember where I was, though. I'm going to blame it on sleep deprivation...

luckyzmom said...

Last year I ran into a trailer hitch on a pickup which was parked in a parking lot. The hitch was extended almost 2'from the bumper. It tore through the passenger side front wheel well and I hung there until I was able to get someone to help. He got valets to stand in the bed of the truck to lower it and allow me to back up and off the trailer hitch. This was in "little car" which we had purchased less than three months prior. There was no damage to the truck. It was a miscalculation as was Em's incident and I have had my drivers license for 44 years!

Mother of Invention said...

Well, she'll know next time. She's been christened!

meno said...

cagey, laugh away NOW, you'll get yours in about 15 years. Then who'll be laughing?

qt, i just had to take a picture of that sign. "Watch Out, Falling Books!"

sari, many many people have done just this. Stupid cars!

lynn, oy maybe they would just explode?

egan, i know, West Seattle is like a different country. We had to get shots just to travel that way.

diane, i don't know either. Maybe the heavy drinking helps. :)

peevish, ha ha ha ha. She'd kill me. I am so getting one.

princess, but it would be cheaper than body work. I like it.

schmoopie, did you see what egan said about West Seattle people? the NERVE! And that Stucco is a rat bastard! Like he's never hit anything. (He has, hasn't he?)

andrea, that's an excellent idea! They should all have that.

luckyzmom, Those things ARE a hazard. They should at least fold up. That sounds like it was expensive to fix. Yikes.

moi, yes, but i would have preferred that she had waited a little longer to get christened.

Mermaid Melanie said...

NO why haven't they developed a car that has rubber bumper all the way around it as a protective covering? You know, like bumper cars?

yes. the sensors are a god send aren't they?

Dick said...

Maybe there is some advantages to not issuing driver licenses until kids are about 25 years old. It will hopefully teach her how easy it is to have an accident even when you are being careful. And it did so without any (human) bodily damage.

Tink said...

They don't arrest you for that? Phew! I thought for a minute there I was screwed.

I keed. I keed.

meno said...

melanie, it's obviously a conspiracy by the auto body shop lobby. Grrrr.

dick, 25 sounds about right. I know there is a lesson for her here, but damn, it's expensive!

tink, i hope you are screwed. Sorry, twelve year old humor intruding!

Wayfarer Scientista said...

oh my!