They Called Him Pappy

When my stepson turned 16, one of our biggest priorities was keeping him safe for the duration of the teen driving years. We watched as his fellow students got their licenses and starting smacking into each other on the highway. I suggested, "Let's get him a vehicle that's built like a tank." We found him an SUV that fit the description, then we got a driving instructor, and we tried to instill in him some defensive driving skills that would help keep him safe.

The tank didn't have a lot of pickup, shall we say. If you wanted to accelerate, you needed to plan it well in advance, like a month or so. He was okay with that, and he got accustomed to driving the hulk around--so accustomed, in fact, that he's still driving it around, often with two babies and a couple or three dogs in the back. (Our DIL, Mommadrool, has remarked that they just need to purchase an Airstream and throw the kids and dogs into that. Now, whenever I see an Airstream--which is not often--I always have to smile.)

Anyway, back in his teenage years, his defensive driving skills earned my stepson a nickname among his friends. They called him "Pappy."

When he told us about the nickname, we responded, "Our work here is done."