Punch Buggy

Gib recently started a Punch Buggy war.



It began innocently enough when he Punch Buggy'd me. I had completely forgotten about Punch Buggy and he had to explain what in the world he had just done to his mother. Punch Buggy Green indeed!

Not to be the last to be punched, I went right out and punched Mariah the next morning when I was driving her to volleyball. She was soooo bummed and demanded, "Where?! Where?! Awwww, man!!" I was excited to get Gib back in another ride with an Ivory one, only he gave me grief because I yelled Punch Buggy Ivory and he said I should've just yelled White because nobody says Ivory. Well, that started a one-sided debate on colors because everybody knows there's White, Ivory, Beige, even Tan, on the VW palette and you better darn tootin' yell the right color if you punch me! I say it was a one-sided debate because Gib was an unwilling participant, and wouldn't confirm or deny the existence of a Gold VW. Luckily for Gib, we were on our street, or I might have launched into the need to specify Lime Green for example vs. just plain ol' Green. Hmpf!! What a spoil sport. :)

Within a couple of days, Mariah and I were smacking each other left and right, only Mariah had some new rule: punching ME after I had clearly spotted a VW bug and got in my Punch Buggy Yellow in first! She slugged me with a "Hahah! Punch Buggy Yellow with no punch backs!" What's with this?!


A few days later I was out with Mike and saw a VW, and mentioned the Punch Buggy war. (I didn't actually punch Mike, but I did say Punch Buggy and pointed at the VW instead). It's a reflex now, I even do it when I'm alone in the car to keep my quick draw speed up. Mike responded with an enlightened "So THAT'S what that's all about!!" (which is code for "our child is behaving weirdly and you are, as usual, at the root of it!"). He explained that Mariah had been punching him like crazy yelling Punch Buggy! But apparently she'd been hitting him for every small car she thought MIGHT be a VW, like PT Cruisers and stuff!"



I thought that was hilarious. Poor Mike! (here's a photo of a Cruiser in case you might be similarly confused... of course being distracted by the coolness of the flames and in the heat of the moment, hah, anyone might make the same mistake, especially if you're 12 and constantly getting out punched by your insane 45 yr old mother. C'mon, you gotta win over somebody, why not your dad who doesn't have a clue what you are doing?!)

So, being the Good Mother that I am, I took my Little Grasshopper under my wing and on our next car ride, began some valuable instruction on what constitutes a VW bug or beetle, and what does not. As I was in mid-lecture, I went to take one of my favorite short cuts to the drug store. It just so happens to be right through the BMW/Volkswagon dealership. Who knew?! I never really paid that much attention to it. As I am explaining the whole V/W on the grill, I go, "Oh, like that Mariah!!" and point to the GIANT blue sign as I pull into the street next to the dealership.

We drive right by an entire row of VW beetles.... do you see where this is going?!

We both gasped, our eyes grew wide........

"PUNCH BUGGY! PUNCH BUGGY! PUNCH BUGGY!"
We quickly gave up on saying the colors and just concentrated on trying to get in punches. As we were in the pharmacy drive up window we could still see the VW's and feeling that neither one of us had really gotten in enough punches, every now and then (OK, about every other second) we would yell PUNCH BUGGY! and giggle and try to score another punch. I'm pretty sure the pharmacist questioned handing over those meds.
Or, perhaps, maybe she felt they were long overdue.

Das Auto.