Quote:
Originally Posted by e.g.
holy fishpaste, now you want to take away my cheap labor. (I am kidding). My son goes with me quite a bit. I have people help keep an eye on him and he is in training to work on the cars. If he wants to race them he has to learn to work on them. There are strict rules of conduct in the pits and if he breaks them he doesn't go with dad anymore. I worry for his safety all the time. Any parent who says they don't needs to wake up. But I want him to have the opportunity to meet and hang out with some of the best racers and people this country has to offer. If a child is out of bounds on their behavior then the kid and the parent should be escorted out. However I have been at tracks where people sneak into the pits in trailers and when they were hurt expected to have their injuries covered. I have been at tracks with people so drunk they couldn't put two words together and then they start a fight or threaten other people and the tracks don't care. I have been at tracks where jackleg promoters steal from you by skipping out or shorting your pay and on top of that if you get hurt you find out they never had any kind of insurance. I have had friends die in racing and at work. Life can be very cruel very quickly. As a parent I never want to hear of any child being hurt in any way. But I know it can happen. Ever since Jake has been going to the races he loves being with the crew and when we run the second car with Newman, Ryan and his wife are very nice to him. Jake thinks the world of guys like Ryan, Stewart and a ton of other racers he has had the chance to talk and hang out with. Those are experiences not many kids get to have. Once again part of a parents job is to worry about the well being of their child. I also feel one of my jobs is to share in all of life's joys, sorrows and experiences. Finally if I am running a race like Little 5 were total craziness goes on then Jake can hang out before and after but not during the race.
|
Eric, I am sure Sam and your other crew members do an excellent job watching over Jake while you are strapped in the car. You win my praise for also realizing when it is to crazy or dangerous to have Jake in the pits with you. I had the pleasure of talking with Jake at Oswego, you have raised a very polite young man. Great job, Dad!!! Several times during the evening at Oswego I looked over to see Jake deeply engrossed in a task helping your crew. Jake is also well past his toddler years, I started this thread thinking about the young toddlers I saw in the pits in July that appeared to have very little supervision. My grandson is just a year and a half old an he can be holding on to your hand one second and gone the next. Kids that age are just that fast. Racers do not have their minds on watching for young children in the pits, they are focused on racing.
Safe racing,
Patti