I was at the Saturn dealership today picking up my car for the *second time* this month. According to my mechanic, Jim, I have bad mojo and should not be allowed around heavy machinery on a regular basis. For example, yesterday I drove my husbands car to and from work and by the time I got home, somehow the gas gauge had gotten stuck underneath the small plastic branch that holds it in place. You know the little plastic protrusion that your gas gauge rests on when your tank is on empty? (Yes, you do; your broke ass knows exactly what I'm talking about) Well, somehow it had gone 270 degrees clockwise and is now resting *under* the plastic stop. Explain that. It's my ions or aura or some shit like that.
Back to the original topic. So, I'm making my way towards the checkout desk at Saturn with my yellow copy triplicate charge ticket in hand and as I pass by a table piled with various literature ranging from car accessories to local maps, I saw a stack of flyers with an illustration of an elephant leaning on a car. The title read: "Trunks are for elephants, not for children". Well! That explains why the car seat never fit right.
Does the local car dealership really need to participate in a campaign against stuffing children in trunks? Is it that much of a problem? Do parents really not know that placing their children in cramped, airtight containers might put a dent in their physical and mental wellbeing? Not to mention their side quarter panels? If you can't figure that out on your own as a parent and guardian of those less able in every way than an full grown adult, you should be neutered. What's next, a warning on the side of all home appliances: "Freezers are for popsicles, not children" or "Washer's clean clothes, not kids!". Honestly, the whole thing frightens me. There's something wrong with our culture as a whole if it's become the responsibility of the places that sell us equipment to become involved in our parenting, gently reminding us not to use their products to hurt our children. How terribly sad.
