Car Manners

It's common knowledge that Gabe is a car fanatic and he'd jump at any chance to sit at the wheel and do his version of the vroom vroom. This means that everytime we are in a vehicle, he'd request to "drive car". After a really long time, we have managed to establish certain rules, which the little one will repeat to himself as a reminder/ instruction whenever a situation occurs.

1. "Baby cannot drive car on the road. Only papa and mummy can. Baby can only drive car in the multi-storey car park in mummy and papa's house." [That's after we have parked the car.]

2. "Cannot drive uncle's taxi. It's not waigong's taxi. It's other people's taxi." [He'd initially request to be at the wheel when we are paying for our taxi ride home!]

3. "Only papa can let you drive car. Mummy cannot let you drive car." [A rule I added upon the impending expansion of my tummy, which makes it difficult for him to be on my lap when I'm at the wheel.]

4. "May I drive car please papa?" This one took a long time to sink in. You see, Gabe would scream and shout in excitement when the car journeys up our multi-storey car park and his aggressive demands of "drive car! drive car!" are nowhere near our standards of a polite boy. We have gone through months of reminding him to "ask nicely", and upon this instruction will he then make the polite request. There came a time where enough was enough and we'd just keep quiet, give him a little more time (chance to request) before pretending to get out of the car. The training finally paid off. Gabe will wait patiently and quietly while derod reverses the car, pulls up the handbrake and just prior to turning off the engine, sweetly go, "may I drive car please papa?"