Last night I let Charlie get up to 25 mph. Then he got pulled over.
We were doing some stop-n-go work down the truck bay of an industrial park not too far from home. The idea in stop-n-go work is to get him to learn to stop without snapping my neck. I had him take the car up to 25 mph and then hit the brakes enough to stop quickly but without skidding (that skill will be learned later, when there's snow) and then to let up a little just before the actual stop so we don't turn into bobbleheads.
I guess it WOULD have looked pretty strange to an observer. I didn't notice the observer hiding amongst the trucks. But he sure noticed us. After watching for a little while, he pulled out, and I had Charlie sit still until we figured out where this car was going, hopefully out of the bay. Instead, it drove straight towards us, turned on an in-dash flashing red/blue light, and pulled off slightly to the driver's side.
Rent-A-Cop. And he's asking Charlie questions, but not getting out of his car.
I leaned over Charlie to answer him, but he couldn't hear me, so I had Charlie put the car in park, got out, and walked over to his window, since he still wasn't about to get out of the car. In the car was a little old man hunched over the steering wheel, and it looked like his neck was frozen to his shoulders--he had to turn his whole body in order to look at me. He asked if everything was okay, and I explained that Charlie had just gotten his learner's permit and we came out here to practice since he wasn't ready for road traffic yet. I was bracing myself to be told this was private property, we couldn't do that, get lost or we'll get the real cops....but all he did was nod and say, "Okay." He rolled up his window and went back to where he had been lurking before.
Charlie was shaking and sweating when I got back to the car. I think Chinese orphans are instilled with a deep-seated fear of the police--Charlie has never been comfortable around cops. We continued on with our practice session and eventually went home.
When we got back to the house, I told Rick Charlie had been pinched by a cop. Charlie immediately--and VERY vocally--denied it. Told Rick the whole story in rapid-fire sign that Rick couldn't begin to understand (my sign-to-voice professor would be proud of me for interpreting that one!) and finished up with, "And I DID NOT get arrested!!!"
We were doing some stop-n-go work down the truck bay of an industrial park not too far from home. The idea in stop-n-go work is to get him to learn to stop without snapping my neck. I had him take the car up to 25 mph and then hit the brakes enough to stop quickly but without skidding (that skill will be learned later, when there's snow) and then to let up a little just before the actual stop so we don't turn into bobbleheads.
I guess it WOULD have looked pretty strange to an observer. I didn't notice the observer hiding amongst the trucks. But he sure noticed us. After watching for a little while, he pulled out, and I had Charlie sit still until we figured out where this car was going, hopefully out of the bay. Instead, it drove straight towards us, turned on an in-dash flashing red/blue light, and pulled off slightly to the driver's side.
Rent-A-Cop. And he's asking Charlie questions, but not getting out of his car.
I leaned over Charlie to answer him, but he couldn't hear me, so I had Charlie put the car in park, got out, and walked over to his window, since he still wasn't about to get out of the car. In the car was a little old man hunched over the steering wheel, and it looked like his neck was frozen to his shoulders--he had to turn his whole body in order to look at me. He asked if everything was okay, and I explained that Charlie had just gotten his learner's permit and we came out here to practice since he wasn't ready for road traffic yet. I was bracing myself to be told this was private property, we couldn't do that, get lost or we'll get the real cops....but all he did was nod and say, "Okay." He rolled up his window and went back to where he had been lurking before.
Charlie was shaking and sweating when I got back to the car. I think Chinese orphans are instilled with a deep-seated fear of the police--Charlie has never been comfortable around cops. We continued on with our practice session and eventually went home.
When we got back to the house, I told Rick Charlie had been pinched by a cop. Charlie immediately--and VERY vocally--denied it. Told Rick the whole story in rapid-fire sign that Rick couldn't begin to understand (my sign-to-voice professor would be proud of me for interpreting that one!) and finished up with, "And I DID NOT get arrested!!!"
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