“Daddy!” the boy squeals as he flies into the shop, wrapping his arms around his father’s legs.
“Arthur boy!” his father exclaims.
“Walk, please!” his mother warns…for the millionth time.
“Can we do shop time, Daddy,” Arthur asks.
“That sounds great! Beth, is it ok with you if we have shop time after we close today?” Andrew asks with the “you know it will be good for him” look in his eyes.
Looking forward to getting the boy home, I respond with exhausted elongated words – “Yeah, that’s fine.”
But it is good for our now 3 year old son. And it’s good for Andrew to be able to share that special time with him. It’s certainly a benefit when your dad owns an auto repair shop. It’s a unique experience that few other kids his age enjoy.
If you have been a client for any amount of time, you have recognized that Andrew is a good teacher. That’s one benefit of his music education degree and he applies this with our son, especially during their Shop Time.
What Do They Do?
Arthur is always interested in what Andrew is up to and does his best to emulate him.
Arthur loves to help out around the shop and Andrew loves to give him practical jobs.
Learning opportunities abound at the shop!
With Andrew’s degree in music education and Arthur’s interests in everything music and everything in Daddy’s shop, this was a big hit! This is just a short clip of the beginning of their music exploration around the shop.
Finding out how things work around the shop can take a lot of different forms, but this is one of the most fun to date. I think Central Florida amusement parks have a rival!
These are just a few examples of the fun Andrew and Arthur have during their shop time. Many of them, I haven’t been around for. They will look for little treasures that Arthur can hide away in his pockets, do an oil change together, or just explore how different tools work. Arthur has been around the shop since his birth and is now capable of being helpful with small tasks. He truly completes our family business.
What a treasure trove of learning for a little boy!
Marinelli Auto Service is an auto repair shop in Winter Park, Florida. We’ve been serving Central Florida since 2015. We provide maintenance and repairs for a variety of makes and models.