Over the last few months, I've had ideas of parenthood pop into my head time and again. I guess it's an aging thing when you decide to get into your 20s. Of course, every parent worries about their kid's safety, and I think I've found a way to kill two birds with one stone: the cars they drive, and the 21st birthday. Here's my idea:16th birthday: kid gets an old beater Volvo. They're reliable, slow, comfortable, practical and safe as all hell. Exactly what a 16-year-old needs. There's no performance to be found in these cars so there's no way for them to go exploring the car's limits. That, and they're far from cool. So that keeps them from getting in with the wrong crowd, and it's a little lesson in humility. You have to always be *willing* to drive the beater car, else you end up spoiled your whole life. I've never agreed with the policy that kids get the cool car right when they're 16 (like everyone I went to high school with) because it leaves them spoiled and they don't know how to handle their own cars, resulting in wrecks.21st birthday: kid gets the awesome new car. BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, whatever company is making the best cars 30 years from now. Whether it's new or used, they should drive away from the dealer with it on their 21st birthday to give a real strong impression that this is their car. This also might have the effect of stopping them from binge drinking, 'cause they'll be too excited about their new ride. If they do decide to get their drink on, the newness of their car that they just got should be enough to stop them from driving.Knowing my luck, they'll probably lower the drinking age to 16 or something equally stupid by the time my kids are 16.