Callapidder Days

Let me just say that I am firmly convinced that a mother created the concept of the drive-through. Okay, maybe not firmly convinced, because I’ve done absolutely zero research to support that claim. But I would not be surprised at all to find that the mother of a baby or toddler came up with the ingenious idea of allowing people to accomplish many of their errands without ever leaving their cars.

And I, for one, love drive-throughs. I like the drive-through at the bank. I absolutely adore the drive-through at Starbucks. And I chose our current pharmacy purely because it has a convenient drive-through.

In short: drive-throughs are my friends.

It just so happens that L.(4) also loves drive-throughs.

But our reasoning couldn’t be more different.

Observe:

Reasons I love drive-through establishments

1. I do not have to leave my car, yet can still accomplish my errands. This benefit was particularly helpful when my kids were younger and I didn’t want to lug around an infant seat, diaper bag, sippy cup, etc. But it’s still handy, even with bigger kids. Not having to exit my vehicle means that we can run errands while I am the kids are still in their jammies. It means staying in a toasty-warm car in the middle of February. It means not having to scrounge around to find the umbrella in the back seat during a downpour.

2. I do not have to deal with lots of people. Crowded establishments tend to stress me out. If I can deal with one (preferably competent) person at a drive-through window and not have to stand in line or jostle through a small crowd, it’s a good thing.

3. I can get done faster. Even if I’m the fourth car back at Starbucks, I’m convinced that the drive-through line will get me my White Chocolate Mocha faster than parking, unloading a preschooler, entering the store, ordering, paying, and waiting inside the store (while making sure said preschooler does not topple the display of mugs) ever could. And no, I haven’t used a stopwatch to prove my theory beyond all doubt. But years of experience tells me it’s true.

Reasons my four-year-old loves drive-through establishments

1. He has a captive audience.

Okay, I guess that’s just one reason. But it’s a big one for him. As soon as we enter the drive-through area, L. puts his window down and waits patiently until we approach the window. As soon as the store employee is in sight, he puts on his oh-so-charming smile, waves, and cries out, “Hi! Hi! Hi!” until he gets an appropriate response.

And really, only a rude employee, who clearly doesn’t want me to return, would ignore a cute, blue-eyed boy greeting her from the backseat. Most drive-through folks are taken slightly off-guard, but then smile in return. One Starbucks employee is always happy to see L. and makes sure to tell him, “Bye, buddy!” before we pull away.

L. loves it. He’s gregarious by nature, but when you’re only a little over 3 feet tall, it can be hard to make eye contact or snag the attention of all the busy adults in the world. But a drive-through window? Perfect. There is no way that the person on the other side of that window can avoid his smiling face and engaging greeting.

Occasionally (usually at a fast-food joint, I’ve noticed), we’ll encounter a surly teen who’s a bit tougher to engage. But last time we visited Wendy’s, L.’s persistence paid off and resulted in a grudging smile and wave from the teenager who clearly did not want to be at work that evening. Even C.(11) commented, “I bet you brighten their day when you do that, L.”

And therein lies the difference between L. and me. My appreciation for drive-throughs centers pretty much around my convenience and comfort. I’m always courteous, and make an effort to smile and thank the drive-through workers. But really, the whole experience is for my benefit. I’m sure serving customers like me is not quite the same as encountering a little boy who wants to enter their little world and interact with them, even if it’s just for a minute.

I could learn a thing or two from my little guy.