The Blast Off Seat

When I was a little girl the laws for wearing seat belts didn’t exist yet.   As I grew up they were passed, in increments, first requiring lap belts in the front seat then over time shoulder belts and back seat riders were made requirements.    As a child, we didn’t worry about collisions (we were children) and we had some fun times in our back seat as a result. 

The first car I have good memories of riding in was a blue, older model Mercedes.   I want to say it was a 280 model, but that may be wrong.  I know my parents called it by the number and not the brand most of the time.  My parents had that car for a long time and it served our family well throughout my childhood.   

One of the “features” in the car was the “blast off seat.”  Most Mercedes didn’t have such a feature, but my mother told me the large, middle back seat arm rest, when folded down, was just such a seat.    All I had to do was fold it down, sit on it (optionally put on the non-required seat belt) and then prepare for blast off. 

When I was ready, she’d push in the cigarette lighter in the front dash board and we’d count down.   We weren’t ever sure how long the count down was, but when we heard the cigarette lighter pop, we’d yell, “blast off!”    

So that’s it.   That’s all it was.   But that little imagination game my mother came up with got more excitement and compliance out of not only me, but neighborhood children as we went places in the blue car.   

One year our next-door-neighbor’s son was starting school at the elementary school and my mother offered to drive him when she took me.    He was terribly shy and scared and didn’t want to get in the car.    But when he heard about the blast off seat he cautiously climbed in, say up and bravely looked forward as we headed off to school and he prepared to be launched by the seat.     It only took one trip on the blast off seat for Joey to get over his fear of going to school with us.    

My mother was a clever lady.

The Big Boy Update:  My son and daughter were at a park today, climbing up one of the play structures.   I got a picture from my in-laws with the caption, “it’s a race.”   Both children were clambering up one of the sides of the structure with an eye to get to the top first.   I didn’t get a follow-up message on who the winner was.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:   I got a delightful picture of my daughter in a park, hiding behind a tree from my mother-in-law today.   The picture makes me smile because it’s one of the only pictures I’ve seen in a while where my daughter’s face doesn’t look bloated from the prednisone and her eyes don’t look disengaged from her visual impairment.    The prednisone is on final taper and her eyes are healing.   Hopefully there will be many more pictures like today’s in the near future. 

Fitness Update:   Apparently we walked over four miles yesterday to get to the convention center to pick up our registration packets for the two races we’ll be running today and tomorrow.   My husband and I are going to leave shortly to travel to the starting line for the 5K that’s this evening.   I’m looking forward to running Las Vegas at night.