At some point months ago, the guys & I were playing with Matchbox cars, and when they talked about a Ferrari’s engine being under the hood, I explained, “Actually that’s a mid-engine car. See, the engine goes behind the seats; you can tell by these vents here on the sides.”
They were intrigued and asked, “Why don’t we have a mid-engine car?” I chuckled and, not wanting to get into why Dad-O can’t afford a Ferrari, said “Well, those cars tend to be small inside. They’re better for guys with no kids.”
Wouldn’t you know it, this little factoid keeps popping out at the oddest moments:
- One night Finn was mad at me for making him get ready for bed. He flopped onto the bedroom floor and most piteously said, “Dad-O, I just want you to step on me! I want there to be no more Finny, and then you’d get a mid-engine car!”
- Henry spotted a young couple out for dinner the other day & said, “They don’t have any kids. They must have a mid-engine car.”
- We explained recently that before we had kids, instead of the Ocho we had a Jetta. “Oh,” observed Finny, “I guess it was mid-engine.”
Despite my attempts to clarify the situation, the real info just isn’t taking. Ah well: I’ll just settle in for a life of cheerfully misinforming the boys, a la Calvin’s dad. 🙂
One reply on “Department of Vehicular Misinformation”
Hey your dad has you, which he thinks and feels and believes is better than a mid-engine car!
[I sure do. 🙂 –J.]