There’s a Lesson Here, I’m Just Not Sure What It Is

Last weekend, Bubby’s Cub Scout troop held its annual pinewood derby. All of the little boys got to build wooden cars to race at the event and Bubby was stoked to be able to combine two of his favorite activities: racing cars and using power tools.

However, at the derby, he soon noticed that one of these things was not like the others.

Bubby's Car

Bubby’s car, which Big A helped with, but allowed Bubby to take the lead on design/appearance, etc…

The other cars.

Bubby and Big A were surprised to find out that the other kids hired professional car designers to build their derby cars. Actually, we’re pretty sure most of the kids helped their parents build their cars and not the other way around.

Bubby’s car, although not the nicest or shiniest and definitely not shaped like a train or a fish, won the first few heats, but then got eclipsed by some faster models. And Bubby, quite embarassed and deeply disappointed that his car didn’t look as cool as the others at the derby, managed to hold his tears in until they got back to the car where he broke down. He was more upset that his design and paint job paled in comparison than how fast or slow his car was.

I wasn’t sure how to handle this one (and actually, I didn’t have to handle it right away… I was living it up at our church’s women’s retreat and didn’t find out about it until later that night). The week before the derby, Big A gave Bubby several opportunities to repaint his car and make it a little neater. But Bubby felt it was good enough. On the other hand, even if Bubby did his absolute best and worked hours to make it perfect, he never would have achieved what the others did. Because he’s not 30 years old. And he’s not a wood carver.

So when I got home, after Big A had already diffused the situation with Pizza Hut, a trip to the park and a game of kickball, I tried to reassure Bubby that I’m proud of what HE accomplished, and that next year, he can let Big A do most of the work.

(I feel like I just encouraged my son to cheat?)

Maybe there’s some unspoken rule of pinewood derby that the parents must take over so the cars will be fast, shiny and super creative, but we never got the memo. And while Bubby could have done more on his car, he couldn’t have done that much more.

Like I said, I’m sure there’s a lesson here somewhere, but I’m still trying to figure it out. Hopefully I can do that before the big race next year.

And if you’re thinking, “man, she’s just being a sore loser like her son was,” you may be right about that.

Just so you know.

This story was originally posted by Kristy K at www.kristyblogs.com

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