How do you transmit your passion to your kids?

You can't. They either have it or they don't. My son drives a beat up Subaru wagon full of trash and his wife's Honda is even worse. One grandson is different. I send him 1/18 Ferrari die cast models and he is in heaven. Sleeps with them. The other grandson takes after his parents.

 

You don't - they will develop their own passions. Be there to support them in pursuing their passions, not yours.
Jes

 

The will choose their own passions.

 

you wont pass it on. They will either like it or they wont.

My father never once worked on his cars other than small stuff, when I got the chance I tore apart cars left and right.

I am way different than my dad in what I like.

 

When I was in MA, there was a toddler running around the driveway.
When the garage door opened, he looked at the three cars inside and went straight to the Ferrari.
His mom picked him up and carried him away, afraid he might get fingerprints on it. (I didn't mind.)
He was crying at being taken away.

But the school kids only noticed that it was "shiny".

So I'd say that classic PF coachwork resonates with our genes, but then society talks us out of it.

 

Daniel, I have THREE young-ish daughters and they all love my "red car" because I've never forced it on them. I work on it sparingly, but keep it in great shape. I periodically will take them for a Sunday ride around, but always use it as a reward/privilege versus a right.

I don't know that they'll ever "love" cars and driving, but that's okay. They will have their own passions and I at least hope that I pass along that such things should always be handled with care and discretion.

 

it sometimes skips a generation, encourage grandkids

 

My Dad didn't directly influence me but he did take the time to expose me to exotic cars, fast boats, and small airplanes.

In the late 1960's, my Dad had a dark blue metallic 1966 Jaguar E-type. As a little kid, I was completely captivated by that car. I was probably 8 or 9 years old and everything about that car I remember vividly. I remember the beautiful lines of the body, the smell of the black leather seats inside, the dash full of round simple gauges and toggle switches, the wire wheels, the squeaking disc brakes, etc. To this day, I think this is why I like dark metallic blue cars.

Also in the late 1960's / early 1970's, my Dad first had a Cessna 140a airplane and later a Cessna 182. He would take me up in the 140a which was only a two-seater. So it was special 1-on-1 time with my Dad while we were up in the air. He would let me steer the plane and slowly climb or descend. I was too short to reach the rudder pedals but the smile on my face as I controlled the yoke must have been from ear-to-ear. And now, 40 or 50 years later, I own a Cessna 182 myself.

So, the passion has to first be somewhere inside the kid, but a parent can definitely fan the flames of that passion by exposing the kid to the more fun things in life.
.

 

My Granddaughter has hung out with me in the garage since she was three. She has slid under cars on the creeper, stood by in the pit during oil changes, and ridden in all my cars. Boy did we get an ass chewing from Gramma after we returned from a Ferrari drive when she was four.
She has pictures of the cars on her bedroom walls and show and tell is usually about Ferrari's and Jaguars. Now at eight she wants to know if she can learn how to drive in the 308.

 

We named our second son Aston and his first word was 'Car'.

He can identify Ferraris by their Cavalino.

He is now 18 months old.

I think I got him!

 

You better teach her well.....both my daughters learned to drive stick, and taught a few boyfriends, too.

 

Fast rides and matchbox cars! Worked on me!

 

Now that's impressive! It sometimes takes days before the leading experts in this online ferrari community can identify a Ferrari, based on a picture of the whole car!!!


May 5 year old son had a one year break from his car passion, to be replaced completely by a football (soccer) passion which infected me.
Now, though, the car passion seems to be back (still shared with the football).
I never push him into anything, but of course my passions will influence him just like his influence me.

 

How do I transmit my passion? Osmosis.

When my first child was born I wanted him to share my love of cars, but didn't want to push anything on him ... I wanted him to develop his own passions.

As it turned out, I didn't have to worry. Since I didn't want to influence him early on I didn't get him any cars. One day I caught him at around 6 months old pushing one of his blocks and making engine noises. I said to my wife, "we need to get him something with wheels".

Since then (he's now 5) it's been nothing but cars.

 

A typical line from my kids, "dad, your car is too loud".

 

I have my daughter try to name all my 1:18 scale Ferraris. When she gets one right I give her a dollar. When she gets one wrong I smack her with a yardstick. She has yet to get them all right...but she's getting there.

 

Maybe you should try pepper spray instead of yardstick.

 

When my oldest was 1 (he's 9 1/2 now) he was having trouble sleeping while we were on vacation, so I would take him out at 6am every morning in his stroller and teLl him the make and model of every car we would walk by. Before he was 2 he could name every car we drove past himself and would be to go for rides in my convertible. Now, he has outgrown his racecar bed but still has a room decorated with a checkereed flag and filled with car models. He won "Best Racecar Design" in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby for the last 3 years running with a Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Gallardo, and Bugatti Veyron as entries.

My younger son (he's 3) isn't quite as talented, but is obsessed with Mini Coopers and Ferraris, and shouts every time he sees either. I started takibg him to Cars and Coffee every weekend when he was 1 and now he begs to go, even if it is snowing. He spent the last week watching videos of the Intercity Lines truck ("Joe's truck") that will deliver our first Ferrari next week and is absolutely giddy waiting. Both boys plan to take the day off from school if the truck shows up on a weekday.

My daughter seems to have missed the car chromosome, but still enjoys coming to Cars and Coffee, mostly for the pancakes.

Fortunately my wife got the car bug from her dad, and even demanded that we get a gated 6-speed F-car. Her interest in cars and the 6-speed turbo convertible that she had when we met were two of the many reasons I married her.

 

If you're wife's on board you're home. Not a wife that puts up with cars or condones them, but encourages them. I've shown my wife a few photos of cars that I thought were 'interesting' and now they are in the garage. There are also some cars I've adored, and she has just said go ahead, not her cup of tea, but when we drove them, she appreciated what I saw.

I can't ask for more.

Happy wife, happy life!

 

You probably answered your own question -- they'll develop interests of their own.

My dad was a car guy, and he got me started dissecting old Briggs lawnmower engines at an early age.
But he was a Mopar fan, and -- since he was a WWII Navy man -- probably would be dismayed at my interest in Italian and Japanese cars.
(Of course, he died before the '70s fuel shortage, so gas mileage was never something he considered.)

 

The 1st movie my son ever saw was Pixar CARS

I got him car toys, took pictures of him getting his 1st Hot Wheels, and taught him the different car makes, working on models now

He knows about gas engines and can name most sports cars. I take him to car shows, races, and he's ridden in my Z06, GT, Slutmobie, and he sat in the F40

He has an electric ride on Ferrari GTO, Lightning McQueen, Batmobile, & Mach 5

I created a little Gear Head

Next step is an electric go kart then a real gas racing kart next year

Thinking maybe a full race Miata or Porsche 914 when he's 12 or 13

 

Kids like spending time with their Fathers. I think quality time around the idea of cars will create an appreciation as something that can bring people together even if they never become gear heads. For me it was in the genes. I'm a bit crazier than my Dad, or maybe we might both be completely crazy but in different ways. At a very early age he had me help him bleed the brakes on an old convertible he had. That was good stuff for a young boy.

I've been fortunate, at 41 I just moved back to the town my Dad lives in. We spend a lot of time together in his garage under his or my cars. And a lot of time drinking beer talking about cars.

Since wifes were brought up, my wife simply likes the cars she likes but can be subject to suggestion. I was looking at 911s before I purchased my Ferrari. Now every time I talk about another car she asks when we're getting a 911. We just needed a AWD vehicle and I put her in a Wrangler. At first she didn't know what to think. Now she loves it but says the radio is lacking, no MP3 input as it's a 2000.

It may be like the opera, those who love it love it, those who don't can learn to appreciate it. Line from Pretty Woman of course.

 

I agree with everyone saying it happens naturally or not at all. I think its terrible when a parent pushes an interest on a kid.

Im terrified my kid(s) will grow up hating art and loving sports, but if they do they do...

 

I buy Ferraris so my kids won't have too much inheritance when I die.


George Clooney (The Descendants-movie):
Leave your kids enough so they can do SOMETHING but don't leave them so much that they don't have to do ANYTHING.