MSM Toddler drives battery-powered tractor to county fair without asking parents July 19, 2019

diamonds

diamonds

Administrator
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The 2 1/2 year old drove his tractor down the sidewalk, through the back gate and a huge crowd, straight to the Tilt-a-Whirl.

Toddler drives battery-powered tractor to county fair without asking parents

A Chisago County toddler is without wheels after the stunt he pulled Thursday night. Sheriff's sergeant Jason Foster tells KARE 11 that the two-and-a-half year old decided to take his battery powered John Deere tractor to the county fair without asking his parents.

Dispatchers received a call about a missing child at 6:51 p.m., and had him safe with a deputy two or three minutes later in the middle of the fair grounds. Then, the scope of the little fella's big adventure became clear.

As it turns out the toddler lives only a block and a half or so from the fairgrounds, and had seen the rides going up over the previous few days while riding in his parents' car. When the fair opened Thursday night he was excited and decided to check things out by himself.

Sergeant Foster says the little guy drove his tractor down the sidewalk, through a back gate and then navigated a heavy crowd that was there for the motocross races, finally arriving at his chosen destination: The Tilt-a-Whirl.

Before he could get on State Representative Brian Johnson, a former Isanti County Deputy, saw the boy and figured something was amiss. Johnson flagged down a deputy, who made sure the tractor-driving kid was reunited with his dad.

While the tale has a mostly happy ending, there is one unfortunate development. It seems dad immediately suspended his son's driving privileges by pulling the battery from his John Deere.

Bummer.
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/...4hnNW95rmxBjgxRQV9fOJ0kunzJCZnztwVRhB4nHhHAzg
 
The Mountain

The Mountain

Here since the beginning
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Hair-raising story no doubt, but that's one determined little guy. He knew what he wanted, and was able to manage the challenge of navigating to his goal. You almost can't punish him for something like that, because he's only doing what he's seen his parents do i.e. drive a vehicle to get where they want to go. And at only a block-and-a-half, that's barely 10 minutes travel time from his yard to the ride he was aiming for, so you can't really fault mom and dad much.
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
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No way that kid came up with that completely by himself. At 2 1/2? Nope. He's been listening to someone egg him on about that tractor and what he could do with it. That's the only way he made the connection.
 
IRoberge

IRoberge

Veteran Member
Kathy in FL said:
No way that kid came up with that completely by himself. At 2 1/2? Nope. He's been listening to someone egg him on about that tractor and what he could do with it. That's the only way he made the connection.
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I'm not so sure about that Kathy. At 2.5-3 years old we had to keep a close eye on our son to keep him from going off property with his Jeep. Of course his father had given him an upgrade with a more powerful battery.
 
Freeholder

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
Kathy in FL said:
No way that kid came up with that completely by himself. At 2 1/2? Nope. He's been listening to someone egg him on about that tractor and what he could do with it. That's the only way he made the connection.
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Don't count on that. At just-turned three years old, my not-quite-two-year-old brother and I decided to walk to my grandparents house almost a mile away (nothing but open fields between the two houses). When we discovered that they weren't home, we discussed it, decided they must have gone to town (sixteen miles away at the time), and we set out to walk to town to find them.

And I can just see my other brother doing something like this, or his oldest son. Both were absolute live wires, extremely intelligent and independent and full of mischief. Still not sure how either of them managed to live long enough to grow up!

Kathleen
 
Texican

Texican

Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
Toddler drives battery-powered tractor to county fair without asking parents

While the tale has a mostly happy ending, there is one unfortunate development. It seems dad immediately suspended his son's driving privileges by pulling the battery from his John Deere.

The toddler had a wake up call that one's actions have consequences....

It is good that the toddler was not hurt going to the fair....

Texican....
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
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My youngest, now 15, was … er … creative as well when he was that age. We called him our baby dragon … among some other things. But it was all stuff he'd seen someone else do or been told about, seen in cartoons, eggedon by older kids, etc. There is more to this story than suddenly, out of the blue, a 2.5 year old jumpstarts his battery powdered tractor and makes it all the way to the tilt-a-whirl without incidence or being stopped. I doubt we'll ever hear it though before the way the story is presented in the OP it is just too good to mess with it by inserting additional facts.
 
The Mountain

The Mountain

Here since the beginning
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Kathy in FL said:
No way that kid came up with that completely by himself. At 2 1/2? Nope. He's been listening to someone egg him on about that tractor and what he could do with it. That's the only way he made the connection.
Click to expand...

I was a terror at 2. I would absolutely have done something like this without any prompting at all. The thought process would have been: the ride is there. I want to ride on the ride. My tractor drives around the yard. I bet it can drive me to the ride. Off I go.
 
M

Martinhouse

Deceased
One of my three could easily have done this. I was always surprised that she didn't kill herself (or someone else) before she ever started school.
 
The Mountain

The Mountain

Here since the beginning
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Here's the vehicle in question:

6v-Stumpy-John-Deere-Electric-Tractor.jpg
 
AlaskaSue

AlaskaSue

North to the Future
We used to live in Buena Park, CA and when my older brother was 3 or 4 years old he took his little red tricycle down the road to Knott's Berry's Farm (circa 1953 or so). This was pre-admission gate, so I don't remember who ended up being the one who called Mom -- but that has been a story that has lived in infamy!! I can totally believe this little guy drove his tractor to the fair :)
 
Bardou

Bardou

Veteran Member
The Mountain said:
Hair-raising story no doubt, but that's one determined little guy. He knew what he wanted, and was able to manage the challenge of navigating to his goal. You almost can't punish him for something like that, because he's only doing what he's seen his parents do i.e. drive a vehicle to get where they want to go. And at only a block-and-a-half, that's barely 10 minutes travel time from his yard to the ride he was aiming for, so you can't really fault mom and dad much.
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Nope no fault of the parents. I had my son who was 2-1/2 years old at the time in the house, locked door, locked screen door. I was in the kitchen doing dishes and he was playing by himself in the living room and had the TV on. I go out into the living room to check on him and the door is open and so is the screen door. He kept hitting the screen door until it came unlatched. Panic set in for me - I'll never forget it. I sometimes still call him Houdini.

P.S. I found him hiding between 2 parked cars!!!! :sht:
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
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Grumphau said:
My youngest son would totally do this given the opportunity.
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Potential for what is my question. My word. If he truly did this without being egged on by anyone else in any way then not having that tractor is not going to stop him, especially if the behavior is reinforced with the wrong kind of attention. Mom and Pop better keep a real close eye on him from here on out.
 
T

Tennessee gal

Veteran Member
I grew up with my nieces and nephews. One of my nephews age 2 1/2 had been given a bath. My sister went into the bedroom to get him some clothes. When she came back he was gone.
He had climbed out of the bathroom window and a neighbor saw him walking down the street. She brought him home, rang the door bell, and my sister answered the door. There stood Kenny buck naked. He was mischievous his whole life.

I fully believe this little guy pulled this off with his tractor all on his own.
 
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I

intothatgoodnight

. . .
The Mountain said:
Hair-raising story no doubt, but that's one determined little guy. He knew what he wanted, and was able to manage the challenge of navigating to his goal. You almost can't punish him for something like that, because he's only doing what he's seen his parents do i.e. drive a vehicle to get where they want to go. And at only a block-and-a-half, that's barely 10 minutes travel time from his yard to the ride he was aiming for, so you can't really fault mom and dad much.
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Wait until you see what this kid gets up to, once he turns 5 years old . . .


intothegoodnight
 
marsh

marsh

On TB every waking moment
My son was brought home at 5 am by a jogger. We had child proof knobs and secondary locks up high on doors. Houdini was his alias as well. We thought about turning his crib over or tying his door shut to the stair banister every night.
 
ainitfunny

ainitfunny

Saved, to glorify God.
Anyone who doubts toddlers can do amazing things has never raised bright, mischievous kids.

My firstborn daughter was "off the scale" of comparison with other kids, with regard to growth, development and maturity. She appeared to be a normal sized 5 or 6 year old before she was 3. She just did not have the life experience to make good decisions.

At about two and a half she was upset that the night before I did not take her to the park that was across a busy road and a little way down from the entrance to base housing (she had asked too late to go to the park) so she got up at dawn the next morning and stole the neighbor boy's chain driven tricycle and rode it through pea soup fog to the park, where the base police found her all alone on a swing.

By three she was furious that she was not allowed to go to school, so again she got up early and suddenly disappeared, having decided that since she did not know where the school was, she would follow the other kids who were walking to school, and where the base police found her. (She had decided to take the dog with her that time)

She talked in full sentences from the time she was ONE. You would never guess her age from talking to her or looking at her...she was "off the comparison scale" as far as growth and the doctors feared she would be bigger than the teacher by the time she was old enough for school if her growth did not slow down....(It did.)
 
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ainitfunny

ainitfunny

Saved, to glorify God.
By the way, does anyone know why you can't buy chain driven tricycles for kids in the USA any more? The photo below shows the trike I had as a kid and the same kind my 2 and a half year old daughter stole from the neighbor boy to sneak away at 5 am and go visit the park.
s-l1600.jpg


I remember loading 4 friends on that trike (two standing on the back step, one on the seat and one stitting on the handlebars, while I stood and pedaled. (The five of us on the trike did crash and the gal sitting on the handlebars broke her arm)
 
Freeholder

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
ainitfunny said:
Anyone who doubts toddlers can do amazing things has never raised bright, mischievous kids.
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Yes, this is exactly what I was trying to say! I have no doubt whatsoever that that little boy did not need anyone 'egging him on' to pull that stunt. I could tell so many more stories of the kids in our family (including my own daughters) doing things like this -- it's funny looking back, but sometimes was terrifying at the time, and it's only by the grace of God that nothing awful happened to most of them. My nephew, at 19 months old, knew how to start his grandpa's old Army jeep -- it took a foot on the floor, pushing a button on the dash, and turning a key all at the same time. The only thing that stopped him was he wasn't quite big enough to do all three at once. About a year later he ran a snow machine out from under Grandpa's legs (Grandpa had stopped the machine for a minute and stood up still straddling the machine to do something), hit a tree, and knocked himself cuckoo. I could tell all kinds of stories about that kid (his dad was just like him, but didn't have access to the machinery, which probably saved his life).

My oldest daughter, still four years old, left school on her own on the second day of school instead of waiting for our neighbor who was picking her up along with their own daughter, and she started walking over a mile home by herself -- a route she'd only traveled a couple of times in a vehicle. When the neighbor didn't find her at school, he called us, and we went looking for her, found her over halfway home running down the sidewalk. She would have made it on her own, too. (And she's still independent, smart, determined....)

Bright, independent kids don't even think about needing to ask before they do things, they just go do them. And kids can THINK much earlier than many adults give them credit for! That story I told about myself and my little brother in my earlier post? I was just almost three, my brother was a couple of months away from turning two. But we had a discussion about going to see Grandma and Grandpa, and then when we didn't find them at home, we had a discussion about walking to town to find them there. We didn't understand the distance involved, since we'd only gone to town in a vehicle. But we knew where it was and how to get there. We made it another half mile or so before a neighbor found us and took us home. Don't underestimate little kids, just because they don't communicate well! They do have functioning brains -- they don't understand consequences in most cases, but they can figure out how to do things.

Kathleen
 
W

watchin

Veteran Member
A neighbor was driving to the convenience store over on the highway one evening & came upon a BABY, crawling down the road, apparently on his way to the same store. He was wearing nothing but a diaper & was about 200 yards from his home. Nobody had missed him at the time & the neighbor didn't know who he belonged to. She took him on to the store & they called 911. (This was before cell phones.) When the deputy got there, he recognized the baby as probably belonging to the local drug dealer. The other kids were supposed to be watching him, but they were busy doing other "stuff".
 
Z

zeker

Has No Life - Lives on TB
the tyke forgot to mention that he had a hot date with his main squeeze, and now hes got no wheels
 
Laurane

Laurane

Canadian Loonie
My son was 3 when we visited family in Australia and went to an outdoor aquarium with seals, porpoises etc.

Whole family sitting on blankets on a hill watching the animals in the big pools and eating and visiting and going for ice cream at the vendors.

We noticed our boy was not sitting with us and start checking around - had a full out search within a few minutes, until someone spotted a little person 20 feet in the air on the overhead "bridge" thingy that allowed the fish to enter the pool...... whee, there was a ladder all ready for climbing!! ....and the view of the fishies!!

Yup that was our boy, a born climber - and he would slip away whenever I wasn't looking. We used reins and a harness for a couple of years when he started running, just so I could shop without alerting staff at a store that he was missing. He wasn't a bad boy, just inquisitive and adventurous......we always considered it normal for our family as he inherited that from his dad.
 
skwentnaflyer

skwentnaflyer

Veteran Member
I don't think he needed any help to figure that out. The stories I could tell about my daughter and the neighbor girl and her pink Barbie Jeep. They lost the battery a time or two.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I was the same exact way as a toddler, hell on wheels was my nickname! I was disassembling my crib at seven months of age. I was potty trained and walking at 9 months. Mom said she didn't have to potty train me, I woke up one day she was going to change my diaper, I said no and went to try and sit n the toilet by myself. I got a potty chair that afternoon, lol.
My brother on the other hand was a PITA to potty train. However, he was just as wild and crazy as I was, and we got that from our mother.
 
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