I’m Not Killed…Yet
I say that every time I successfully return from one of The Girl’s driving lesson’s. She does OK controlling the vehicle; but she doesn’t have any appreciation for how dangerous automobiles are. I know that taking her driving is the only way to teach her how to drive; but, sometimes, it’s an adventure. I don’t remember things being nearly this “exciting” when I was learning how to drive. (My father was very critical of anything I did in those days, so I’m sure I would have heard about it.) I hope there won’t be any great escapes the next lesson. Thankfully, with all the weekday practices and other activities, we don’t usually have lessons through the week. So that gives me a week to regain my composure. Honestly, I’m pretty sure we’ll survive unscathed; but I’m not as confident about the car.
P.S. Check out the “wonderful” weather we’re having in the “Local Weather” section of the sidebar. Yuck!
My 16-year-old niece has her learners permit and we let her drive our car on Christmas day – I was a nervous wreck even though she drove quite well. Mr SD will definitely have to teach my daughter, I dont have the nerves for that.
In Australia you can get your learners permit at 16 and then your probationary license where you can drive alone at 16 & 6 months. Is it the same in the US?
Ms SD
I too think you’re brave to do it at all. I tried sitting alongside Emma when we were in our twenties after she’d had a couple of lessons with a professional. She ran over a six-foot sapling, which leapt back into view in the rear-view mirror. I quietly thanked God it hadn’t been a tree, and sent up another prayer when Emma decided she didn’t want to drive after all.
Ms SD: She only drives the oldest vehicle. That way, it’s not so bad if she wrecks. Still, teaching her can be a nerve-wracking experience sometimes. In the US, the driving age varies from state to state. Here in Ohio, you can get your learners permit at 15½, and your probationary license at 16.
Alfie: Since we have such limited public transportation (if any at all) in most parts of the United States, getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage for most teenagers. Unlike most other developed countries, you can’t get to very many places at all if you don’t drive. Grocery shopping is an ordeal if you have to travel by bus, and you can’t even get to the mall. So, we teach them and hope they don’t kill themselves.
MCB, I have the same problem as you when it comes to teaching my daughter to drive. I came up with a great solution. I let my sister teach her. So far that arrangement has been working out and by all accounts, my daughter isn’t that bad of a driver after all. I just don’t have the patients to teach her and sit in the passenger seat. Good luck in getting the job done.
John in PA: I communicate the best with The Girl so the task is probably better left to me. We’re trying to take things slow; but it’s hard to do. She’s fine on quiet residential streets. It’s in busy traffic that she has a problem. Unfortunately, the only way to learn how to drive in traffic is to drive in traffic. We avoid streets that are too heavily traveled’ bit haven’t yet found a location with just the right amount of traffic (i.e. enough that you can’t hog the whole road; but not enough to be dangerous).