I’m writing this on the morning my family will celebrate my youngest son’s graduation from college. He enters the real world with a degree in computer science, and is eager to get his first job and move out of his mom’s house. I’m so pleased for him! This day has me in a reflective mood, and made me recall this curbside classic I found on campus on the day I moved him in to start his freshman year: a base Firebird from 1979, 1980, or 1981.
It is equally amazing that this apparently unmodified and obviously unrestored Firebird made it this far as it is that my son has made it this far. He was the kid I wrung my hands and tore my hair out over. He had a challenging time in public school, especially after he entered adolescence. He always had terrible organizational and executive skills. He struggled to complete his homework, not because it was too challenging, but because he couldn’t focus for long periods of time, and didn’t know where to put work he did finish so it could make it to school the next day. When he did manage to bring finished work to school, over and over again he forgot to hand it in. His grades reflected it, which led to him being put into classes below his intelligence. He was bored, which only deepened this cycle.
We learned somewhere along the way that our son is mildly autistic and mildly ADHD. It explained so much, but we still didn’t know how to help him succeed. The diagnosis got him extra help at school, but by then his attitude was so bad that it didn’t change much. He finished his sophomore year of high school with a high-D average. I wasn’t sure he’d get through high school, let alone get into college, and I didn’t know what to do. He was well off my family’s script of high school, then college, then independence.
Everything changed for him starting with his junior year. He started earning Bs, mostly, with an occasional A sprinkled in. His sullen, lethargic nature gave way to…well, hardly an optimistic, cheerful nature. More like a pragmatic, neutral nature. He just did the work. It seemed to no longer matter to him what he thought or felt about school, he just gave himself over to it and pushed through it.
He graduated high school with grades good enough to get into a small, private school near home and then earn his computer science degree. He is still organizationally challenged — because he wasn’t on top of how many credits he had earned, he found himself three short on graduation day. The school president handed him an empty folder when he walked across the stage, and our son had to take one summer class to finish his degree. That wrapped up last week and he’s good to go.
I asked him once what changed in him halfway through high school. Always a man of few words, he said simply, “I realized that I was the family screwup, and I decided I didn’t want to be anymore.” In short, he decided he was going to make it. Just like whoever owns this Firebird decided that it, too, would make it.
Another congratulation to you and your son! I’d thought maybe the Firebird was a graduation present 😉
My own son is also a pragmatic neutral one. He is reliable though, once he’s in he’ll do it. We asked him last night if he was enjoying his accounting courses: “Not really” but he does it nonetheless.
I hope your son can move into his future like this Firebird. Not the flashiest or a superstar, but someone who will get the job done.
Thanks Doug! Sounds like your son and mine have some things in common. Good luck to him as he works through those accounting courses!
Except for the bold (faded) colour, this Firebird is the the picture of restraint compared to most of that era. I wonder if it was a repainted Yellow Bird without the graphics replaced? Or do I have the wrong year?
The absence of the screaming chicken makes the hood look massive as well.
On another note, congratulations to your son Jim for his accomplishments. It might seem simple from the outside but changing one’s nature is difficult and often doesn’t stick, and he’s managed to do it. The fact that he took a critical look at himself and made his own call is even more impressive. A thumbs up to all involved here (including the survivor that is the old Pontiac).
I hadn’t heard of the Yellow Bird until this comment. Seems unlikely to me – if this was a repaint, it was a loooooooong time ago.
Thanks! My son has done so well for himself.
Congratulations to your son for getting it done! And to you for motivating him along the way…These Firebirds are ever more appealing to me, and while it’s an ’80 I always associate them with the 1970s. Nice find and in yellow to boot!
What I’m proudest of is how my son decided on his own. I wrote this story on my blog about my relationship with him and how I was probably entirely unhelpful at first. https://blog.jimgrey.net/2020/04/24/live-life-own-terms/
congratulations Jim,
My son was diagnosed as high functioning autistic at a young age. Every day was a struggle. In 2 weeks he will receive his Masters in Computer Science. He has been working full time for a year and makes six figures already. He has friends and is quirky but an awesome young adult who is looking to purchase his first new car!
Never give up on these kids, some make it out.
Firebirds of that era were awful.
Good for your son! And it’s crazy how much they pay freshly minted CS graduates today. Adjusted for inflation, it’s WAY more than when I entered the field in 1989.
I am so thankful your son got an early diagnosis. That’ll save him a lot of heartache. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 58. It explained a lot. Life is so much easier when you know why you see things differently.
Peter I realize now that I am on the spectrum myself after observing my son and his behavior, although my symptoms are mild. Sort of explains my obsession with old cars. And yes, he had a 1:1 teacher in our house 6 hours a day starting at 2 years old until pre-school. Taught him to attend and listen.
And Jim, I guess it’s supply and demand.
Dave, my diagnosis came after my adult daughter was diagnosed. It’s natural for the medicos to start looking at family history. Definitely explains the car obsession – same here! My son’s obsession was always trains – now he’s a loco maintenance fitter, so he’s put his obsession to good use.
That yellow is cop-bait. Just as well they were underpowered, though it was the next gen Camaro that became a chick car, in my mind at least.
Congratulations!
I love the Firebird, but I like just about any ’70s Firebird (’80 counts, too).
I spotted an ’80 “Yellow Bird” recently.
Oh, man – I felt this one in my soul.
First, congratulations to your son, Jim! This is a great accomplishment, even without the obstacles in his getting there.
When I first saw pictures of a yellow 1980 Firebird, my knee-jerk reaction and hope was that it was an Esprit “Yellow Bird”. But this is almost as cool! I really liked the 1979 restyle, and still do. I realize that this is counter to popular opinion.
Like your son, school was not my favorite. While I was never diagnosed with any of the conditions you referenced, I did suffer from poor self-esteem which hit my grades like a ton of bricks… until a certain point, where I bounced back. I found my own niche and embraced my own strengths, and I’m thankful for my life today.
I have the highest of hopes for him and encourage him to aim high, without knowing anything else about him. We were all put here to do something.
When I sat down to write this one, I tried to channel you, as I love your posts and how personal they are.
This could’ve been written about me. Congratulations to your son!
Next owner will add a 502 big block, some 21″ chinese wheel/tire combo, and a screaming chicken.
and call it a “resto-mod”
Thank you Mr. Grey ;
I like this unpretentious car and your son’s “can – do, get it done” attitude .
I know you’re very proud of him .
-Nate
I am – because he did it his way, on his terms.
I can well relate, on several levels.
I had similar issues in high school, which led to my failing so many classes that I was actually a grade behind when I finally dropped out.
My older son had a milder case of ADHD, but was able to find a program (International Baccalaureate) at his high school that kept him engaged. And he too “graduated” from the UofO with three credits short. Except he never took the easy online courses to finish up.
And my younger son was diagnosed with ADHD and mood disorder. That led him down a very dark path, but after almost ten years, he is no finishing up a very intensive 12 step immersion program, and is like a new person. I don’t recognize him. It’s a minor miracle.
I was especially pleased that my son not only took that last class, but paid for it himself because he knew I’d gone to the mat paying for the four “standard” years. I felt quite honored.
I know your younger son put you through the wringer. I am so pleased for you and for him that he worked the 12 steps and came out a new man on the other side! I have my own addiction history I seldom talk about and have worked the 12 steps myself. They will transform you life, if you throw yourself into them and work them.
Congratulations on young Mr. Grey’s accomplishment. I lived a mild version of that story with my two sons, neither of whom was terribly motivated around the time middle school turned to high school. The older one was actually a bit of an attitude and behavioral problem who just didn’t really care about class work and inhibited others around him from doing theirs. Like with your guy, a switch seemed to flip about midway through his second year of high school and things really turned around – to the point that he was just ordained a priest. Who says there’s no such thing as miracles? 🙂 Both of those guys could have probably had full ride academic scholarships if they had come out of high school with grades to match their brains.
The Firebird is a car I have only recently begun to appreciate – I guess my path to appreciation for these has followed the same trajectory as our sons’ academic development.
I have never met your son who was just ordained, but I admire him for what he’s done and is doing. The world needs more men like him!
Oh, yes – I remember that post where your son had that Mercury Grand Marquis, and gave that up when he went to seminary. Didn’t know he had some issues earlier in his life. That’s a wonderful story.
First off, I’m happy that your Son has found his way, especially on his own terms. This bodes well for his future. As parents we can be very coercive trying to help our kids to achieve “our” definitions of success. It works with some, and not with others. Anyone who has more than one child learns that each is different and will do things in their own way. That’s what makes parenting so hard. We, as adults and parents, know pretty well how the World works, and would like our kids to benefit from our experiences. Too much parental control and support can lead to children that don’t have enough resilience, but our intentions are usually good.
That Firebird is what we used to refer to in our sexist past as a “Secretary’s Special.” The base model dressed up with a few convenience options like automatic transmission, radio/tape deck and maybe even a/c. Usually these came with the base V8 or maybe even the straight six. The unadorned bodywork displayed the cleanest lines and are the purist representation of the designer’s intent. These were popular, but as it turned out for several years the Trans Am was the biggest selling model.
Excellent piece. Congratulations to you and your son! I was hoping that the Firebird might somehow turn back up on campus 4 years later 🙂
Reading your story reminded me of at least 2 things I should be thankful for:
1) I didn’t have to raise me for a son.
2) Today’s cars may be better, but old sleds like the ‘bird were so much more memorable.
Speaking as the one around whom hands were wrung and hair torn out, I’d say “Great News, Well Done and clearly deserved” to your son and his support network. I too pushed boundaries, didn’t always engage as fully as I should at school and had a tough time keeping up/matching the levels my brothers got to.
But all is not lost – I graduated and have made reasonable fist of the last XXX years, met a lot of interesting people and seen a fairly decent chunk of the world. And I own Alfa, which my brothers don’t. And I always wanted a Firebird, back in the day….
Good luck for the future, Mr Grey the Younger and good work Jim!
I have *NEVER* seen a Firebird of that vintage without some sort of hood scoop.
The hood looks so long and smooth, like a “Slip ‘N’ Slide. Just needs the water.
Supporting myself since age 17, and then a wife at 20, college was not practical. I did manage to be lower-middle-class until about 2014. Now it is harder since those jobs have moved down south and I am paying for my lack of investment in myself early on.
But I am still married, and my kids are good people. The older one is in his mid 20s and is self-employed as an illustrator. He I tried so hard to make better than myself. Unfortunately he is and knows it and is now too good for the rest of us. To his younger brother I try to preach college, using myself as an example of what can happen if you don’t have a degree. But he doesnt want to go right as of now. Hes a senior in HS so there’s still time. He’s an A/B student so I hope he does, because it’s hard out there now in the real world. Jobs don’t pay what they did, and all that’s left is the most cutthroat exploitive places.
At least I caught the tail-end of the middle class industrial jobs.
Sorry for rambling a bit.
Congratulations to your son – and you.
This Firebird is like your son (or vice versa) as both persevered and succeeded in their mission.
What you have written is also highly relatable…I nearly flunked first grade as I was terribly bored writing sentences and doing math problems all day. There were too many other things to do and think about. That minimal interest continued on through college, although to a significantly lesser degree as I knew a certain level of performance was required despite being more interested in other pursuits.
Again, congratulations to your son. He will do great things.
This is interesting, not so much for the car (though what a cool survivor!), as for the similar experiences many of us have had within our families.
Congratulate your son for me. My high school years were similar, just took another 40+ years ‘wandering in the wilderness’ to find out why. He has indeed done well. Diagnosis can be difficult when you have mild autism or Asperger’s Syndrome; it’s great they noticed it and got him some help.
My son, with ADHD and dyslexia, didn’t get help in school, but has done well for himself anyway. His son’s autism was caught at five; he has help in school and is doing really well. Yep, I’m a proud grandpa.
Jim, congratulations to both you and your son!
I read this piece with great interest because one of my daughters has ADHD, dyslexia, and a host of other issues, and is still at the stage where I’m tearing my hair out over her, especially over the past year. It give me a rare shot of encouragement to hear about a similar-sounding kid who eventually succeeded.
The Firebird is awfully compelling here because it’s the kind of car that was almost invisible due to its commonness… until one day they all just vanished. For some odd reason, I see many more Camaros of this vintage than Firebirds. And the angle from that opening shot makes the Firebird look like it has the size (and hood length) of a Colonnade coupe… it’s a great image.
Jim,
Congratulations to your son – for his persistence and sticking it out!
I’d like to extend a “Congratulations!” to your son as well. There’s a certain amount of overlap in his school experiences as to my own, and there’s still plenty I ‘aven’t got figured out, despite having plenty of years to do so.
The 1979-81 Firebird is my favorite of that F body generation, as my Mom owned a 1979 Esprit for close to 20 years. A couple of other cars came and went over the same period, mostly to provide transportation when the Firebird was out for cosmetic or mechanical repairs. It looked much like this one, but was white with a light blue cloth interior, and had no rear spoiler. Started life with a 2bbl 301, which gave way to a 2bbl Pontiac 400 circa-1990. Many of the first half of my life’s experiences were seen through the windows of that car… I sure do miss it.
P.S.- Even if that Firebird hadn’t been an integral part of my life, these cars appeal enough to me to stand on their own merits. I’m still somewhat partial to the scooped and spoilered ones, which somehow manage to rock all the crazy decals and gingerbread without looking tacky.
The array of personal comments posted on this thread is fascinating. My personal belief has always been that people have a lot more inner angst and pain than what is shown to the public. Our culture has always expected people to “stifle themselves” in public, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of personal inner pain being suffered.
Do a little test. How much pain and turmoil do you detect from the people you rub shoulders with, but don’t know that well. Compare that to the pain you detect from the people you know very well, which is likely a great deal more. Do you think that is just you? I think this is universal (and it has nothing to do with liking old cars or not). Civilization hangs on a thin thread, always. People feel real pain and internal suffering, and a lot of it. One of life’s biggest challenges is to overcome what holds you back and brings you down from your own insides.
Not to go all maudlin and slightly political, but people need to give each other room to find their way, without external judgement and criticism. People are already too self-critical, why pile on? There is the old joke of “I love mankind, its people I can’t stand”. I like to try and turn that on its head in my life. I am not that fond of mankind, generally, but i try to go out of my way to like the people I rub shoulders with.
My high school Sophomore just got himself a Summer job yesterday, at an upfitter/customizer of high-end old 4x4s. He, too, started his middle/high school years in a questionable state, but recently decided that these things really matter. I share your pride in a child who has taken the reins before it became too late!
Thanx for all the insights offered here .
I remember these as ‘Secretaries Cars’ but they were not bad, just off my radar .
I always love hearing about children’s success stories ~ children are the future no matter what you think .
I also agree that too much angst is out there, a bit more empathy and compassion would be good for America .
-Nate