My Baby Bought A Car

      No job has ever presented more challenges that the job of being a parent.  Having five children meant five times the challenges.  I love all my children and take pride in their accomplishments.  I try to never shine the spotlight on one child while neglecting the needs of the others.  Sometimes one does something that makes me shove the others on the back burner and allow the child to have not one but several moments of glory.  The child this time is my baby, Michaela. 

       Some people have something within that makes them shine.  Michaela is one of those people.  She has a heart of gold and a mind controlled by no one but herself.  She is not one who will put on airs and pretend she is something she is not.  If she doesn’t like you, you will be the first to know it.  Unlike most children who are the youngest in a family Michaela has never liked to be pampered or catered to.  She is fiercely independent and acts far older than her years.  Since she was very tiny she has always mapped out her future and tends to follow through on those plans.   It is difficult to stand back and let her go but if I cage her in I know it will kill her spirit.

          With my knowledge but not necessarily my blessings, my daughter decided she wanted to buy her own car.  These plans were not sudden she had been developing the action plan for well over a year but the follow through was unexpected.  There is an age gap between my youngest and oldest by ten years.  Several years ago Michaela began taking note of her older sibling’s behaviors.  They would venture out and get a driver’s license but never bother buying their own vehicle.  Why should they when mom had a car that was easily borrowed.  Notes were taken that two of the siblings did not even bother getting a license.  Around the age of 15 a declaration was made that she would indeed get her license not a day later than the age of 16 ½.   She knew money could at times be an issue so she set about to resolve that.  Before she turned 16 she began applying for jobs.  Her driving permit was in her wallet the minute she could legally apply for it.  Luck finally struck when she landed a job at a sandwich shop this past spring.  She opened up a second savings account.  She had one since she was very small but this one was earmarked for a car.    I applauded her efforts, thinking that car ownership was far off in the future.  While most of her money was deposited she also used her own money to purchase things that she needed like clothing.  She even tried to pay for her own driving lessons but I stepped in and allowed her to keep that money.  True to her word she arranged to go for her driving test the day she turned 16 ½.  I prayed that she would pass because I knew her heart was set on getting her license that very day.  Passing it was a breeze. 

             Car shopping began on the way home from her drivers test.  She was more determined than ever to get her own car.  While many teens were lounging at the beach with friends, Michaela was working over 35 hours a week to save for a car.  I felt she should be enjoying herself more but she was adamant about working.  Three weeks ago she informed me that she was buying a car.  I shrugged it off as just another warning on her part.  Two days later she walked in and confirmed that the purchase had been made.  I was a bit shocked but her actions were not really a surprise.  On her own she had been checking out a small garage that sells cars.  Spotting a 1992 Toyota Camry in the parking lot she stopped and inquired about it.  The mechanic said they needed to check it out since it had just come in.  The mechanic fixed a few problems and informed her she could buy it for twelve hundred.  The next day she went in for a test drive.  She decided she like the car enough to buy it.  While on the test drive she informed the mechanic that she was driving to the ATM if he did not mind.  Off they went to get her money and the purchase was made.  Michaela also called the insurance company and got her own policy.  She had joined Triple A before she got her license and they offered her a discounted policy.  Words can not adequately express the pride I have in this child.  If anyone deserves the spotlight shining on them it is my beautiful daughter Michaela.