The Hunter effect

I guess I need to withdraw what I wrote about Siddarth’s uneasiness in trying out the race-car simulator at the mall. This might have been the case three days back. But yesterday, at the Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton, Ca, our 30 month-old friend wanted to revisit the play area to take the wheel of the blue 'race car'.

His new-found daring could be attributed to peer pressure. A day earlier at the park, he had witnessed his neighbourhood friend Hunter showing off his driving skill in his yellow jeep. What was more, he condescended to take Siddarth as a passenger for a drive in his vehicle.
This was bit of a come-down for Siddarth, who was not accustomed to being anywhere other than the driver-seat. So, at the mall the next morning Siddarth wasn’t going to pass up a chance to take the wheel in the play-area race car. I did not have the camera handy to capture this milestone moment. The picture below, taken three days earlier, shows the same car, but a different Siddarth, with a new-found drive and confidence.

Hunter, for the record, is eight months elder; and has been driving his jeep for months. Siddarth has taken his Ford Mustang out only twice.