19 January 2021

Dear Laca,

On the subject of pumping gas...

When you’re 15 and a half you’ll start driving.

The driving part might not be so bad for you. We’ll be in the car when you have your permit, and by the time you get your license you’ll be so rid of us lol.

BUT pumping gas might make you nervous since it’s in front of a bunch of strangers and you might be too embarrassed to ask me to walk you through it.

In that case, here’s what you can expect…

  1. Before you leave for the gas station, figure out how to open your gas tank. Some cars you can just push on the cover, others will have a button somewhere on the left side of the steering wheel.
  2. Some tanks have a cap that you’ll then have to twist off. I would practice with that too.
  3. Okay, when you’re pulling up to the gas station, you may have forgotten which side of the car your gas tank is on. Don’t worry, there’s an arrow pointing to the side where your gas gauge is.

gas gauge arrow

At the pump…

  1. Insert or tap your credit card, and it’ll take a second to process so you can go ahead and open your gas cap.
  2. Select # 87 (regular)
  3. Grab the pump and place it into your tank
  4. Squeeze the trigger and move the little metal latch as forward as it’ll go. That’ll keep the gas pumping without you having to hold it. It’ll automatically unlatch once the pressure in the tank gets to a certain point.
  5. Replace the pump
  6. Tell it whether or not you’d like a receipt (usually no reason to get one)

And that’s it!

P.S. If you’re curious, here’s a really good video explaining how the pump automatically shuts off for you.

❤ your mother