My first Invention

I must be small; do not remember how old, I do not remember which grade. Those were the times when the really affluent families could afford a car. It was a matter for great pride to get dropped at school in a car, or picked up after school. Most of the other kids came by school bus, cycle rickshaws, bicycles… I used to walk down to school. One day, I thought of a car which would be made of wood which even average families could buy. It could accommodate four people and would have the shape exactly that of a car. It would also have a steering and chairs to sit inside. Instead of a machine, the car would be pedaled. So all of the travelers would pedal the vehicle and it would save them getting wet or scorched in the sun. I thought I had made an invention, I decided to share my idea with my parents and my brother.

My parents told me that the wood would rot in the rain. I was quite dejected on not having thought about this aspect. Then it suddenly occurred to me that the boats are also made of wood and they are used in water. I told them about the boats. They just hummed, nodded and said yeah may be that’s right. I kind of toyed with that idea some more time, and then I forgot about.

Now when I think of it, should my parents have asked to really go ahead and design it, or asked me to get a model made to see how it works. I still do not know what should have been the ideal response, or how would I react if some kid were to tell me something like that now. What would you have done?