Taking a look under the hood

Mechanic Brendan Grant shows my boy around the auto shop

This homeschooler’s “field trip” was an important piece of education for my young son who has developed a serious passion for cars during the past few months. Ironically, he was never very interested in cars when he was younger – never “drove” his food around the table like some kids. It all started fairly recently with the British show Top Gear and his fascination just keeps growing.

As his mom and “educational facilitator,” I try my best to find opportunities for him to explore his passions and interests. So I sent a message to Brendan – who I met originally via Twitter as @bmgauto – and asked if we could come take a look around his shop. Brendan agreed and we headed out to see lots of tools, parts, and cars. Brendan patiently answered all his questions – and, believe me, there were many!

Even though Toby was very excited, he walked around carefully and didn’t touch anything without being invited to do so. People who know my son have certainly seen his wilder side, but in this instance, he was a perfect gentleman – albeit an extremely inquisitive one.

A couple of times during the visit, Toby turned to me with a huge smile and gave me two thumbs up. At one point, he passed me and whispered “Thank you so much for bringing me here!”

Whether or not he ends up working as a mechanic is not the point. The point is that he had a chance to look, touch, and learn about something that excited him. And, as his mom, there is no better education I could hope for.

Huge thanks to Brendan for making it happen!