Monday, January 09, 2006

Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat!

For today's post, I turn the blog over to my friend Jerry.

My teenage son got a speeding ticket last week for going 52 miles an hour in a 35 zone. When I was explaining to him the importance of obeying the speed limit, he explained that the law was completely wrong and that one could easily and safely travel down the street in question at 50 mph.

We hopped in the car, at my insistance, and I drove us to the scene of the crime. It is a residential street, and only a teenager could think that 50 is a safe speed here.

Being a thoughtful, caring parent, I began pointing out all of the reasons why a prudent driver would consider 35 to be the optimum speed for this particular stretch of road. I pointed to the parked cars and big trees that might hide people just waiting to dart out into traffic when my son yelled "CAT! CAT! CAT! CAT!"

I hit the brakes, but it was too late, we nailed that poor cat.

We were both rattled, and I looked at my son and was about to explain that this incident only served to prove my point when he spoke up. "Well, Dad," he said "going 35 didn't really help the cat at all did it? and if we'd been going 52, we would have been way past here when that cat ran out into the road."

In my mind, I could see the scoreboard;
Kid 1 Jerry 0

The next day, I went out into the driveway and discovered a puddle under my car. Hitting the cat had ruptured something under the radiator that caused something to malfunction that caused me to have a $357.00 repair bill.

New Scoreboard;
Kid 1 Cat 1 Jerry 0

Why do I even try?

6 comments:

Artistic Soul said...

lol - doesn't it always go like that? You try to explain something rational and the irrational always gets in the way!

Anonymous said...

That is why some cats eat their young.

Annathy said...

10 years ago when my boy was 3, i declared a law that he would NOT drive any car i or my husband owns.

if he wants to drive, he will have to go visit his father!

poor kitty :(

lime said...

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hehehe. Now THATS funny!! Though not so funny for the cat I would suspect....

oregoncelticlady said...

Life rule #452: Cats and Kids ALWAYS win!!!