Welcome back, Readers.
My youngest turned 7 on Saturday, and we have reached the point where she often refuses to do something, because it is boring/stupid/hard/not any fun... yeah, you get the point. Lately, the refusal comes mostly when it is time for her to brush her teeth. I actually had to fight the urge to laugh the first few times she did that (when she was about 4 or 5). You see, I remember my younger brother choosing that very battle when we were young... actually, he was about 4 or 5 as well. And being the oldest (by about 2.5 years), I remember vividly how my parents so expertly handled it, and have used that tactic on my daughter myself. (I have tweeked it a bit, because she is more stubborn. But the idea is the same.)
Her: "Brushing my teeth is boring! I hate it!"
Me: "That's okay, Honey. Tell you what. You don't have to brush all of your teeth."
Her: "Really? Cool!"
Me: "Really. Just brush the teeth you want to keep."
Her: "Oh." *hesitates, thinking*
Me: "The grownup teeth you get, are your last teeth to use. They will have to last you for the rest of your life, until you are super-duper old. Whichever ones you want to have even then, those are the ones you want to brush."
Her: "What if I don't brush some of them?"
Me: "When your baby teeth fall out, the adult teeth grow in behind them. You already have some of these. If adult teeth aren't brushed and taken care of, they fall out too. No other teeth grow in their spots, and you can't chew as many hard or crunchy foods, because your teeth are your chewing power. Treat enough of your teeth badly, and you won't be able to eat anything crunchier than applesauce."
Her: "Oh. That's not fun at all. I think I'll go brush my teeth. All of them, so they all stick around."
Me: "That sounds like a great decision!"
Aside from gaining a new parenting tactic, you might be wondering: What does this have to do with vehicles? The answer is simple: Plenty!
Yes, doing Preventive Maintenance on your vehicle can be quite a chore. My young daughter considers certain routines - teeth brushing, room cleaning, etc. - to be quite a hassle as well. Many children share her opinion, on one responsibility or another. Heck, some of us never outgrow our aversions to certain tasks - especially cleaning!
But, what would happen if we chose *not* to do our "dreaded chores"? Laundry would pile up - either in clumps of dirty clothes, or piles/stacks of clean ones that never got put away. The dish cabinet would be empty, with its contents in the sink and on the counter - clean and dirty all mingling together. Dust and dirt would be everywhere, causing all who walked by to sneeze repeatedly. That's a disturbing thought, one that brings to mind the show "Hoarders", right?
Let's apply that thinking process to our vehicles. No one *likes* fueling up, but without fuel the auto won't go anywhere - not even to your work. Without fresh wiper blades and light bulbs, your chances of seeing and being seen are reduced greatly. Ignore servicing your brakes, and your vehicle won't stop properly for very long at all.
I could go on, but I think you get my point. Yes, keeping tabs on what services have been done and when can be quite the undertaking. In fact, I will offer suggestions on how to do exactly that with greater ease, in a future post. But one thing I want to bear in mind, is that your vehicle will exercise karma and the Golden Rule in dealing with you. So, if you want continuous, reliable service out of your auto, you must give it continuous, reliable preventive maintenance. If you choose to shirk your duties as the owner, your vehicle will eventually choose to shirk its duties in taking you where you want/need to go. Sobering thought, isn't it?
And now you have a better understanding of why I sign my posts the way I do.
Until next time, remember: Take care of your vehicle, the way you want it to take care of you!
PPM
