Parents.....

[EmberMike]

A few years back I helped my nephew with his car. I did as little as I could, jumping in where cutting tools were needed and letting him handle as much of the build as possible. The car did not look like a speeder, and I was fairly sure that one of the wheels was pretty crooked. But somehow, the thing flew down the track and earned him a 2nd place trophy. He was thrilled, and I was happily surprised. 

 

Over the years I've seen cars that look like a disaster about to happen end up turning in good performances on the track. And likewise, cars that look like they were built by a NASA engineer not even cross the finish line. Sure there's a bit of science and strategy to this stuff, but luck is a big part of it too. 

 

I think parents that take over the build process do so at great risk of leaving the derby entirely empty-handed, both in terms of results and in terms of their kid's pride in the car they had little personal investment in. Only one of those things are truly within the parent's ability to influence. Race results are sometimes a complete surprise.

 

The better bet, in my opinion, has always been to make sure that at the very least, a kid has a car that they'll proudly keep on a shelf in their room at home. 

Edited February 8, 2017 by EmberMike