MY CAR ~ MY BABY

I have always been an overprotective mom to my cars and I don't share well. My children were never allowed to eat or drink in the car although I think I let them have a bottle/sippy cup with water. A spotless clean car is a must, inside and out. (my daughter has followed in my footsteps)

Now I am not as big of a clean freak anymore because I am no longer physically able to do it. I remember when my children started driving and my husband expected me to just give them my car. Talk about hard! I eventually gave in but depression followed. I really don't know where this came from. Needless it say it was important that my children got their own cars!

So fast forward to the present and I am still very controlling of my car. I had my first Mini Cooper for 5 years, my husband never drove it. Got my second Mini CooperS two years ago and he hasn't driven this one either. I did let my family test drive it but that really doesn't thrill them because they know how I am.

So we have the trip to Mammoth Lakes this year, right? My daughter has a Toyota Yaris that is going on five years old. It's in great shape (low mileage) and would surely make it up in the mountains but she really didn't want to drive it. Our son is in the process of getting a new car but wasn't able to drive the car he is currently driving because it was just to old and didn't actually belong to him. So they start asking if they could take my car.

Conversations went on for a few weeks and my stomach was going crazy at the thought. So then my daughter had to remind me of the woman we had worked with who lost her son at 19 to an accident that happen in the grocery store he worked at. She always regretted that she never let him drive her sports car. He had always asked and she would say no. Obviously it wasn't very important in the long run and wished she had said yes. So I am thinking what should I do. I keep thinking what if something happened and they were not driving my car, what if my car would have been safer.

Finally I said end of discussion, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I knew my daughters car would be just fine. Then right before the trip I heard my husband on the phone with our son and I could hear him say "mom said no." Then I was feeling really bad so right before my husband and I left for Mammoth I said "do what you want, I don't want to know!"

So they showed up in my car, which I knew they would jump on it given what I had said. It all turned out well and they made it safely to Mammoth Lakes. So at that point I knew that I was going to be the one driving it home. Now we have been going there for over 16 years and this would be the first time I would be driving. Guess what, it was okay and I actually passed many cars on highway 395. My daughter was with me and she gave me a high five. My Mini has power and I actually enjoyed the drive home. (passed two motor homes at once, also two cars and a motor home! Gee, do I need to be first like my husband?)

So our daughter drove back with me and our son drove with my husband who took him back to Los Angeles before heading home. It was a great vacation and I was okay with the way it turned out.

And no you can't borrow my car!

P.S. Keep in mind that I am a very giving person and give my children all that I can, just don't ask to use my car. Also the rules for parking is that you must ALWAYS park on an end and preferably to the right so you are next to the passenger side of the car next to you with the hopes that it is just the driver without a passenger. Yes I do have a long walk when I park!