Hobby Ideas

One of the biggest blows to boyhood dreams is the constant project over-runs, or the “yeah that’s the gokart my Dad and I are working on…it sits in the corner over there!” You can tell the disappointment in the son’s voice and he looks away in mild disgust. “Dad, you promised we would have the go kart running this summer. It has been all summer vacation and nothing has happened!” This scenario can easily happen, and will easily happen if you have any sort of family life. Let’s face it priorities in life are: family, Church, food, vacation, lawn care, swimming, tennis, basketball, baseball, soccer….gokarts…?

Go Karts will come last place, because they are a luxury item. To a kid though they are more than just a luxury item, they are an experience. An experience of multi-facets. The “Hobby” needs to have priority. To a kid the “hobby” is the research and development stage of his or her life. Hobbies are usually constructive in many ways should be encouraged when practical. Sometimes hobbies have to be started, or kids have to be introduced to them, they will not spontaneously erupt.

A hobbies benefits are in the following areas:

- Educational
- Learn Skills
- Responsibility
- Time Lines
- Ownership

The nice thing about a go kart is it has so many practical skills that it teaches. Every problem becomes a teaching exercise. For kids who receive everything, or the “video game generation” a go kart is an excellent way for kids to work from the ground up, and see what it really takes to make a go kart.

I think we won’t deny that to have the go kart project is a good idea, but implementing it can be another whole ball game.

I am trying to steer us into making it a priority, because it is more than just a “luxury item.” It is a teaching tool, it could mold the future a great way for your child. And most definitely it will improve your interpersonal skills with your child. Instead of being the parent who comes home exhausted and wiped out by work, who sits at the table and makes a few irrelevant comments, you can get on their level and have goals on their level and work towards a solution on their level.

Kids just want to be understood, and so do parents. The best way to get to a mutual understanding about a problem or life for that matter, is to work towards a same goal. The go kart is that tool. I would look at it as more than just one weekend, because quite honestly (as we have pointed out in other articles) it takes more than just one weekend. It might take the whole summer. And you know what? That is great, that is what you want, a project that you can keep going to and keep working on. So ideally, make it stretch out over the summer.

Also, if you make it stretch out the pressure is off to get it done quick. You can take your time and get it done right. That is also a trait you want to teach as well: a good work ethic and a quality product in the end.

So the to sum it up: Take the go kart project seriously. Schedule it in to the family activities. Make a spot for it in the shop. Make it easy to work on, and easy to put away. Spend a couple hours on it every weekend and before you know it you and you family will be having fun driving it.

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