Awesome dad moment today

So Kazoo Jr. is now the proud owner of a driver's permit. He's been waiting for a couple months to get his hands on the soon to be "Kazoo Jr. mobile" - a 2002 Protege5. Here's the kicker . . . it's a 5 speed. Overall, he did pretty well . . . until we got to hill starts (this was all empty parking lot work, no innocent drivers were injured/threatened during the events of this story). On the hill, he was about 50/50 for getting it moving without stalling, and there was a fair amount of chugging, tire chirps and general herky-jerkiness. We finally stopped to avoid a brain fire. On the way out of the lot, with me driving, we stopped mid-hill, then I eased it up the hill at about 1 mph, stopped, let it roll back, and re-started all without using the gas. I got a wide-eyed look and a "What wizardry is this?" from my son. The old man still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Of course, within a week, he'll probably be able to do the same. For now, I'm basking in the glory of it all.

Thats great. Just the other day at work we were talking about manual transmissions. It was alarming, at least to me, how many grown adults (some well into their 40's) that I work with, that don't know how to drive a stick.

My dad had me backing up his boat trailer at the boat ramp (and pulling it out to) when I was 13 years old. He had a 4 speed diesel (6.9 litre) f250.

drainoil wrote: It was alarming, at least to me, how many grown adults (some well into their 40's) that I work with, that don't know how to drive a stick.

Wussification of America.

My daughters first car that she purchased was a standard. She did not know how to drive standard but dad had one so she wanted one. The day after the purchas I took her down to the schools and taught her how to drive standard in my Porsche. She had it mastered I half an hour and in a week was an old pro. She is the only person I have ever let drive my Porsche in the 25 plus years I have had it. This was ten years ago and I still smile about it.

i was driving for almost a decade before i got my permit, longer if you count the miles spent sitting on my dad's lap helping to steer the car... learned how to do donuts in a hay field in my dad's '30 Model A street rod when i was 12, had thousands of miles under my belt on the local gravel roads by the time i could legally drive. and this seemed to be the norm around here back when i was growing up in the 70's and 80's. now i know of adults in their 20's that have never driven a car and don't even want to learn.

Nice job dad!

Very cool. When my son took his road test the 4-Runner was out of Inspection by one day so not allowed to use for the test. He & Mom flew home to get my truck which he drove before, I just got home with a load of manure. Rats!

He never drove the 914 in his life but that was the only thing left. He shuddered when he turned toward the big hill with a red light on top. He did well but the Inspector was uncomfortable in such a small car.

Now the adventure begins....

Nice, Kazoo. Keeping the legacy alive!

I learned to drive a manual when I was about 13 in a first generation Taurus SHO. Great car.

I don't typically condone this kind of behavior, but one morning while hauling 4 kids to school in said SHO, my dad came upon a stoplight with a riced out civic that I can only guess was jokingly revving at a stop. Dad just said "hang on" and absolutely smoked the civic. One of my favorite dad memories. I guess there's a reason I ended up here.

Nice job. :-)

Not only are there an increasing number of grown-ass adults who don't know how to drive stick, increasingly I'm finding this ignorance to be a point of pride. Its like people don't know how to do something, and they take a certain sense of satisfaction that they don't. It's like being proud of a handicap, except it's a self-imposed one.

This video about says it all.

Good job guy!

I'm pretty sure a stick shift is the best antithetical device available today. I could leave my Mustang parked with the windows down and they keys in the front seat and no one would take it 'cause they can't drive it.

Datsun310Guy wrote:

drainoil wrote: It was alarming, at least to me, how many grown adults (some well into their 40's) that I work with, that don't know how to drive a stick.

Wussification of America.

I was reading a Popular Science from 1956 the other night. Even then, 90% of the cars sold in the US had automatic transmissions. So, it's likely your parents were part of that 'wussification.'

Did that with my daughter once. Bump started while rolling backwards. She found it amazing too and thought it would break her car.

I remember the days when entry/budget level cars were manual trans. That's all I could afford back then so that's what I drove. Learned to drive on a stick shift.

stuart in mn wrote:

Datsun310Guy wrote:

drainoil wrote: It was alarming, at least to me, how many grown adults (some well into their 40's) that I work with, that don't know how to drive a stick.

Wussification of America.

I was reading a Popular Science from 1956 the other night. Even then, 90% of the cars sold in the US had automatic transmissions. So, it's likely your parents were part of that 'wussification.'

My dad gets a pass. He taught me a drive on a 76 CJ5 without power steering or brakes, with a manual trans and 304 V8.

Well done, Kazoo, sir! You do know that continuing to find things to astound the kid with Dad Awesomeness is going to be much harder than teaching him manual transmissions...

My dad started teaching me to drive in his 1978 280Z 5-speed at age 12. Right after we finished a flight in the Stearman (Navy N2S-4, for you warbird types) during which I made my first un-assisted full-stop landing

Progress tonight. He did well enough in the parking lot to do a little road work. He managed to pull off a hill start with a police cruiser behind him sans wheel chirp, so he's probably good to go.

When looking for my son's first car, I found a one-owner Mazda Protege, 5 -spd. I asked him if he was up for a manual, he said yes. I got so frustrated that he wouldn't drive the car. He avoided a steep hill on the way to school, and in time, has become proficient in the ways of the MT. Two weeks ago I found a good deal on a Mazda 6 wagon, when I sent him the ad, he declined. His reasoning, it's an automatic. He worked as a Valet for a wedding, and he was the only one who could drive a manual.

I regret my dad passed before teaching me how to double-clutch...

stroker wrote: I regret my dad passed before teaching me how to double-clutch...

FWIW - sorry to hear, man.

We've actually had a lot of fun working on this. I think I've learned a thing or two about teaching since I tried teaching my wife 20 years ago.

That was our first big "married fight". All I did was make the helpful observation, "Are you trying to wreck the transmission?" And that's how the fight started. . .

All I did was make the helpful observation, "Are you trying to wreck the transmission?" And that's how the fight started. . .

That would do it... :)

Gonna start keeping my eyes open for mustangs with the windows down. Note to self, look for keys on front seat.