Okay so I am the mother of a teenager that is 3 months away from 16. Do I need to tell you what we talk about ALL the time???? In case you couldn't guess..DRIVING!!!!! I must admit she is a decent driver, but we have had our moments. Like when we let her drive to Huntsville. It's a pretty easy stretch to drive until you are actually coming into Huntsville where it all of the sudden gets a little tricky. She needed to get in the left lane so I told her to make sure there was no one in her blind spot. She turned her head to look and at the same time Jay and I started having a coronary because the car started veering the opposite direction barely missing the car in the next lane. Whew!!!
It has been quite comical because for those who know me I am certain you would think I would be the more uptight one, but truth be told, Jay is the one who gets pretty uptight when Ashley is behind the wheel. I consider this quite an accomplishment on my part.
The thing that has surprised me most has been Ashley's new found appreciation for how hard it is to be a safe, defensive driver. We went from her being totally confident that driving was a piece of cake to "WOW this is a lot harder than it looks."
In the process of teaching her how to be a good driver I am now having any and all of my bad driving habits pointed out to me on a regular basis. Thank you very much.
If you haven't had the privilege of sharing this experience with your child, hold on to your hat. You are in for a real treat! This sure has made me think about what I put my own parents through as I learned to drive.
Overarchingly, this has been a great experience as we continue to prepare Ashley for being out in the real world. In the midst of these teen years where it feels like a constant tug of war between dependance and independance it is clear to all THREE of us that she stills needs her mom and dad to help her as she navigates the road of life. Bottomline - that's what it's all about.
Friday, November 14, 2008
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3 comments:
I am so with you on this one! Today was the first day our son drove to school by himself, in my used (but new to me) pickup truck. Of course it was rainy and foggy with lots of extra traffic (or so it seemed). What a weird feeling, standing in the driveway waving goodby, with him grinning ear-to-ear. I kind of felt increasingly smaller and more insignificant. And it seems like his Mother is taking this a whole lot better than I am. All of those driving lessons came rushing back--I sure hope some of them "stick." Like you said, it is all about helping them become independant and prepared to be out on their own. Just didn't think it would be quite this soon.....
Girl, this is just the beginning. I'd fill you in on what's ahead, but you'd miss out on this "passage of parenthood"! The worst thing next though, is waiting for them to come home, once they are home and safe inside, that's when I can relax. Although I don't think that feeling ever stops no matter how old they are. The one good thing about them going away, like to college, is you don't know what they are doing all of the time so you can't freak out as much :) It's all good...a glass of wine helps too.
Wow...we are right there too! Alexis will start driving in February. I am still holding out hope that TN will change the driving age before then...not because she is a bad driver but because I am NOT ready to let her go!
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