"Me DRIVE!" Letting kids do dangerous things.

At the wheel.

We have a new driver in our house!  He's a bit short, can't quite touch the pedals, but he "drives" almost everyday.  It's hilarious to watch him.  He gets into the driver's seat, puts on his daddy's sunglasses, turns the wheel back and forth, and pushes any buttons he can find.  We figure this game will have to stop once he finds the horn!  Though he's not anywhere near moving the gear shift and Matt assures me that cars have to have the brake engaged in order to put a car in gear, I admit that I feel like a bad parent for letting him do this.  Beansprout's utter delight in "driving" and then "coming home" (through the back hatch of the car) make me put my worries aside.  The role-playing of him telling us he's home is priceless.  It's amazing how much they want to do all the things that we do when they're young, and believe me, I realize this is only the beginning.

Do you remember doing things just like your parents as a kid?  Did you get to "drive"?  I've heard that it's one of five dangerous things you should allow your kids to do!  Here's Gever Tulley's quick video about it on TED talks.  Do you agree with his list?  Anything you'd add?