Pinewood Derby – A Rite of Parenting (Or, in This Case, Grandparenting)

My kids never did well in elementary school science fairs. They were straight-A students, both going on to earn two college degrees (one in molecular biology and biochemistry!), so the blame seems to fall solidly on my shoulders. My excuse is that I was a single, working mom with little time, energy, or skills to invest in these projects. The projects that won the science fair always seemed to have a great deal of parental involvement, a little too slick to believe they were the work of a ten-year-old.

My kids were eleven and twelve when Steve and I got married, so he missed out on all those fun (?) elementary school projects. Now that he’s a grandparent, he gets a redo on everything he missed. When our grandson’s troop announced that it was time for the Pinewood Derby, all eyes went to my husband, who is well-known in the family for his perfectionism. He was all in!

This is our six-year-old grandson’s first year in Boy Scouts. He’s not typically the kind of kid who joins groups, but his best friend wanted to join, so Callister agreed to also. Whatever Callister lacks in enthusiasm, his best friend more than makes up for it, and his level of optimism and enthusiasm is contagious. Their primary motivation for joining Boy Scouts was the promise of campouts, and those campouts have not disappointed the boys. The Pinewood Derby was not high on Callister’s list of priorities. To say he was a reluctant participant would be like saying the Pope is Catholic – an understatement.

Creating the Car

Meanwhile, my perfectionist husband watched YouTube videos, devised a plan, talked to the other dads, and bought scales, drill bits, sandpaper, and glue. If you google Pinewood Derby, you’ll get over four million hits. If you go to Amazon, you’ll find page after page of related products for sale. Knowing we weren’t the only family that struggled with this project was somehow comforting. My husband made somewhere between two and twenty trips to Lowe’s for various supplies.

Callister remained totally disinterested. My husband encouraged and cajoled Callister every step of the way. He was able to convince Callister to do some tasks such as sanding, helping drill, and choosing a design. He chose the minimalist version (let’s be honest, he chose what took the least amount of work) of painting a yellow C on top of the car. Involving a reluctant six-year-old meant the car project took about ten times longer than it should have, but by race day they had a car.

Working together – a major accomplishment!

Pinewood Derby Race Day

The day of the event was exciting. Each car got to run in four heats, in a different lane each time. There was a finish line with a computerized timing device. Callister was excited to win one heat. He didn’t place overall, but it didn’t seem to matter one bit to him. He got a participation ribbon, played with his friends, his family was there to cheer him on, and he got to buy snacks from the concession stand. From a first-grader’s perspective, it was a good day.

Impressive track!

My husband, who deserves a trophy for patience, is already planning and scheming for next year’s Pinewood Derby. Callister is happy with his participation ribbon. He’s even happier to go back to doing what he loves, running around and playing with his friends. That’s the job of a six-year-old boy. Will he feel differently about the Pinewood Derby when he’s seven or eight? Maybe, but we’re not counting on it.

Even after a stressful few weeks working on the car, they still enjoy each other’s company, so that’s a win!