Makin' Dad Proud

So, I think parents, in general, fully believe that their kids are incapable, to a certain age, of thinking logically about matters of safety. I also think that I definitely fit into this classification until I was forced out on my own. Now, I am borderline neurotic at times, but I think that's more life-preserving than the former. In any case, as I prepare for another trip home, this time roughing the PA turnpike, only the most responsible things are coming to mind: I should get new windshield wiper blades, I will get my oil changed at home, I better fill my wiper fluid with the de-icer stuff, etc. How does this happen? My brain has officially gone from full-time fun mode to adult concern mode without me even recognizing the changeover.

Anyhow, my huge Saturday feat resulted from such thoughts this week. It was a beautiful day here yesterday (until 40 mph winds hit), so I wanted to do something outside, knowing the rest of my day would be spent indoors reading. So, I decided to go to KMart in Wayne, which happens to also be the first Philadelphia retail experience I had. Anyhow, I went there to get some stuff to clean the inside of my car. When I entered the Auto department, however, I went crazy over those things I named above that may make my trip home a bit more safe. I got the essentials, and I felt so proud because I even found the right size wiper blades to replace my old ones. Then, the unthinkable happened...I came home, and I put my own wiper blades on! Back home, I would drive to the Advanced Auto Parts store, have a man find the right size blades, and have that same man install the blades. I would always observe how incredibly easy it seemed to remove the old and click the new into place, but did this EVER motivate me to get them on my own? Of course not.