I remember as a kid, that was one of the most exciting things to watch Dad do. It only happened once a year (twice later on when my parents were able to afford a second car), and I can remember each year tottering out after Dad to sit on his lap while he peeled the old sticker off with a knife, then cleaned the window with alcohol before applying the new one very carefully so it was straight and didn't have air bubbles in it.
By the time I was 10 he would allow me to put the sticker on, but his hand would be over mine, guiding, and making sure the sticker was on right.
These day's it's just another chore... and you no longer need the knife to peel these modern stickers off. But it does give me time to think as I clean down the spot and then apply the new sticker just like I watched Dad do so many times, pushing the air out and re-adjusting the line so it's straight.
It's funny that something most people would do in a 5 minute job on a Sunday afternoon becomes so much more because I do it just like Dad, take more care than most people probably would, and then usually smile at the end of it amazed that something I use to think was such a 'big person's job' was now something I do all by myself.
Dad always looks after his cars as well as he can, and it's something that has rubbed off on me. So being the little tyke back in the day in awe of sitting on Dad's lap while he worked on his precious cars really makes me reflective as I find myself doing it these days.
And also makes me look forward to maybe one day having a little boy of my own sitting on my lap thinking that changing the rego sticker is the most exciting thing in the world!
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