OF ALL the NeRVe!!!

As many of you know we have 6 children. As our children neared the age of 16 and the wonderful years of driving, we have always tried to provide a vehicle of some sort for them to putt around in. One that will get them from here to there, run errands, get to school activities and so forth. Dayna had a little red car that she got around in and then she took it to college with her. We got a little silver Alero that Todd could drive, which he did until he went to college, and then he took a truck that we had (which was later totaled in an accident..another story). Erik then drove the Alero. After it had seen several fender benders and many a rough roads, he decided to get his own truck when he headed off to college. Now Kim drives the Alero. Its been in and out of the shop for little things here and there. I think mainly because its getting old and the miles are racking up, but it still gets the kids from here to there, to run errands, to school activities and so forth...UNTIL a couple of weeks ago when it just died! No matter what we did, it wouldn't start. Cameron kept telling us that it was the fuel pump, (but really I think he was just guessing.) I thought maybe a fuse, a spark plug...something minor. Deron and Kim towed it down to our local mechanic shop (Eagle Tire...we love them!). Later that day the boss called Deron and said they found the problem....someone had put TOOTHPICKS, yes toothpicks in the gas tank and they had ruined the fuel pump! NOW...explain to me why someone would do such a thing. First of all...it was malicious and mean. Because no one would just put them in the fuel tank to be funny, without having ill intent. No one would "accidentally" put them in there, because you have to unscrew the cap to put them in. IT WAS ON PURPOSE and terribly rude. I was so upset to think that someone would do such an awful, rotten thing. WHY they did it? I don't know, we may never know. It may have just been someones sick way of playing a practical joke, a "get even prank" or just because they thought it would be funny to see what would happen. But it was a terrible thing to do. I have heard of kids filling other kids cars with piles of waded up newspapers, writing with soap or window paint on the windows- even letting the air out of tires...but all of those, as inconvenient as they are...are not malicious. They can all be cleaned up without any cost or too many problems, but this was just awful! I would like to find out who did it, although there is no way to find out- because we would get the cops involved to the fullest extent. There is no excuse for kids to damage or harm other people's property. Kids need to learn respect for things that aren't theirs and treat it as such. For some reason there is a lack of respect in our society today. Kids think that they can do what they want, when they want and with no consequences....they don't want to take responsibility for anything that they do, nor do they think that they should have to. I know there are a huge number of kids out there, and especially in our little town, that ARE NOT like this. There are many that are taught respect, kindness and the good things in life. And for that- I give a big round of applause and "a big thank you", for such amazing kids and to their parents for teaching them at such a young age to be this kind of person. Because these kind of teaching are carried on throughout their teen years and will continue throughout adulthood! Although, I do realize that even if a child is taught the right things, he/she still has her own agency and can and will, choose for themselves what they are going to do! Its not always because of lack of teachings, sometimes its just a lack of bad choices on the kids part. 

The moral of this story....get a gas cap with a lock! That's the only thing that might have changed our unfortunate story! 

PS...we went out and got one immediatly!