Day #26

I'm not as fast as a go kart...

We were playing outside today, Max in his mud and Jay teaching himself how to rebuild engines. It amazes me that Jay can take small engines apart and put them back together, and make things work that haven't worked for years.
Max spotted Jays go kart in the yard and sat down in it. He doesn't like it when the engine is turned on though. Jay and I were trying to push him through the yard and teach him how to turn the steering wheel.
We figured that as long as Max didn't put his foot on the gas pedal that it would be safe to turn it on. Surprisingly Max was not afraid, he laughed and put his arms up in the air, his face glowing with delight the entire time. We pushed him for about 45 minutes and he'd turn the steering wheel on his own, he looked so proud of himself. Then suddenly he took off like a bat outta hell, maneuvering himself between trees, Jay running after him, me running after him. I'm yelling "CATCH HIM!!" Jay finally does, I'm horrified and my heart is beating so fast it hurts.... and Max? Well, he thinks its funny, he's laughing so hard his face is bright red. He wants to go again. Apparently after the engine on this go kart warms up it will take off on its own, something we never knew because Jay has only ever driven it as you normally would... get in, put on the seat belt, start the engine, foot on gas.... not like we did today. It was a bad idea to not show Max where the brake pedal was, I didn't plan on leaving his side, but when you have a go kart with a mind of its own, learning how to stop is a good thing. After that I decided that from now on, the engine would be OFF and we would just push him, or maybe someday when my money tree starts producing money I could get Max his own go kart that is operated with pedals like a bike or a remote control that I could control. He could still be independent, but I could still make sure he was safe. There really isn't a dull moment around here sometimes.
Until tomorrow