Counting Jeeps

During the school year the girls and I counted school buses as we drove around the city. There aren't any school buses in the summer. The girls found a new fascinating vehicle--The Jeep.

When I say Jeep, I don't mean the brand. I mean the original Jeep as it was envisioned for the armed forces.

The girls point them out and then describe them.

• No top, with windows
  
• With the top, with windows
  
• No top, no windows
• With the top, no windows
• Hard top
• Soft top
• With doors
• Without doors

We've had teaching sessions regarding the purpose of a roll bar. This caused great consternation of both Inwe and Larien. "Aunt Maverick has a convertible, and it doesn't have a roll bar." That led to a conversation about center of gravity and how a Jeep is more likely to roll over than a Volkswagon Beetle.

Amazingly, stereotypes can also be dashed with Jeep counting. The first few Jeeps that Inwe saw had young men in them with sleek, mirrored sunglasses and ratty shorts or cargo pants. Then, she saw a woman driving a Jeep. "Mommy, Mommy! That's a girl driving that Jeep. Girls can drive Jeeps?" You could hear the excitement in her voice. Today she informed me that the white Jeep driving beside us was driven by an old man. The next one had a woman about my age. Inwe noticed car seats in the back seat.

Life really is full of lessons.