When my first child was born in 1999...
The hospital told us we couldn’t leave...
They said we had to buy an infant seat...
I was shocked and found it hard to believe...

I was told it was a national law...
And a law the hospital had to enforce...
Then they happily sold me a $200 infant seat...
From the hospital gift shop, well, of course...

You see, I was one of six children...
And our family didn’t own a huge car...
Sometimes we had to sit on each other’s laps...
We would often fight if the trip was too far...

One day, I found the perfect solution...
And I mean it was the perfect fit...
I decided to ride up on the rear deck...
It immediately became a big hit...

It was just the right size for my body...
And my brothers and sisters left me alone...
Sometimes I would crawl up and go to sleep...
Whenever we took a long ride home...

I loved my own private rear deck...
I could watch to see where we had been...
The cars driving behind would flash their headlights...
And I would give them a big shiny grin...

My children will never experience the fun...
I enjoyed by riding on the rear deck...
Today, kids are all strapped in car seats...
Around their stomachs and across the neck...

Some people call this progressive protection...
Some claim it’s the best for the child...
I wish we were still living in the good old days...
At a time when we were born to be wild...

© 2022 Jeffrey Pipes Guice
My Wonder Years: A Book