My 14 y/o son was with me. He gave me crap for the driver thread and always being on C5..... then, we pulled in Saturday morning to SGMP. All I heard was, "Woah." Then he was hooked. Cool struff!

I brought my son down for the fest for some father and son time and it did not work out as expected but will be truly memorable in many ways

1. I learned how much of the music that I listen to is on his ipod and how some of the stuff that he listens to is actually pretty cool.
We listened to everything from Scottish folk music to Iron Maiden, Johnny Cash, 80s New wave and "Viking Rock"....

2. We got some quality time to talk to each other about an amazing range of stuff which day to day you dont get time to talk about

3. We shared the experience of duct taping the frontend of my car together in the dark after hitting a tire "gator" on I95 and then jointly made the call on heading down the rest of the way to the fest

4. He helped me stay focused when I was frankly in a rather depressed state and got me to at least clean the bugs and tire residue from the front of the car and make it look as good as it could do for the fest

5. My son now knows way more about cars/performance tweaks and drag racing than he ever had before and was genuinely pulled into the spirit of the event by the folks we met. He was amazed at how cool the real life people behind the online avatars were

6. The GM folks let him hold the world car award which blew us away. He was also amazed at how I knew some of the GM leaders on sight and how cool and natural Scott and Cheryl were to talk to

7. He ate his first T-bone steak on the trip ;-)

8. He told me how much of his outlook on life, music and values came from me and how much he appreciated that we have so much in common

It was worth getting the frontend smacked up for all of this alone - and made priceless by meeting all of you guys.

I hope you get that front cover replaced okay. That was crappy to hear what happened, but at least it wasn't worse.

It sounds like that was totally worth the time you got to spend with your son. Priceless :D

Yes it is has been great to add this to the many things my son and I have in common. As they get older it seems harder and harder to find that common ground. It is like the song "Cats in the cradle" you really want to make time when ever you can and as much as you can.

once more person in the growing camaro family ;)

Sweet glad you and your son had a great time on the Caravan up to Valdosta and at the show :)

Sean

its funny all you guys getting your sons into cars/camaros. im 16 and i think I got my dad hooked to camaros.but he got me hooked to cars. i really wish i coulda went to C5F.

2+ years after CF1....
 

Thought I might revive this old thread and update it.....fast forward and my son is now 17. Every since CF2 was held in AZ he has hoped, and prayed, CF3 would be close enough for us to attend. When he found out it was Indy I got an immediate phone call from him to start booking rooms. Nothing less than the host hotel for him! I decided a long time ago that his birthday present was to be at CF3 since the event is the day after his birthday. I'm not sure he believed it when he read the card "you are driving my Camaro at CF3". And yes, I did buy the supercharger we both wanted two years prior at CF1. He also did catch the permagrin fever when he bought his first car, a 2001 V6 Camaro, when he turned 16.
Not only did he drive at CF3 on the drag strip, he turned an 11.8 with a .011 reaction. So far, the quickest time the car has run. He got 6 total passes and loved everyone of them. Watching him mature from a very scared first timer on his first pass to a fully confident driver on the last pass was very cool for a father to witness. The best feeling from CF3 for me was the joy, and pride, I felt when my son was doing burnouts and driving as hard as he could. The car has brought many good times and many new friends into my life. Watching him and seeing his joy is certainly the best excitement I've received from owning the car! But the best of all, the greatest thing the Camaro has provided, over the past 3 years, is the incredible relationship I have with my teenage son, my best friend. Attending CF1 and CF3 will be unforgettable events for us both. Thanks Camaro5!!!

:clap:

Awesome story.