Sooooo, I've taken on the parenting task of teaching my oldest daughter how to drive. Tim isn't as secure in his ability to remain calm and reassuring when it comes to this task. Therefore, it has fallen to me.I'm trying. Very hard. Trying to get through this parenting trial with the kind of grace that I've been able to hold on to throughout all other parenting obstacles. I laugh, encourage, smile, trying to make it light heartened and enjoyable, all the while not showing my teen the real turbulence inside. . .
Heart tightening, stomach clenching, breath gasping, FEAR!
Is it a Capricorn mother's reluctance to relinquish control of a dangerous motorized vehicle into the hands of her clumsy 15 year old daughter? Or is it that the aforementioned teenage daughter is a terrible driver?
I'm going to have to go with the first option!
She's actually performing very well. I'm very proud of her. She listens to my instructions, and doesn't even beg and plead to drive on an hourly basis. She has only driven over a curb in the high school parking lot once (inducing one of those stomach clenching moments). However, I'm kicking myself right now for never buying her a go-carts, or some other small "vehicle" when she was younger. LOL! Eek!
Anyway, this mommy is having a harder time than her teenager is with the learner's permit. I certainly hope it gets easier on my nerves as she improves in her driving skills. I have no doubt she'll glide right through her driver's test when the big day arrives, but will I have more wrinkles, an extensive amount of gray to cover up, and a minuscule amount of patience left when this is over?
Wish me luck! And if any of you out there who've been through this have any advice, I'd love to hear it. :)
*Image Credit: arinas74 @ Sxc.hu*
No advice, just reliving what you are going through. I taught my daughter to drive in a stick shift car, it was harrowing the first few weeks. Oh, and we lived in San Francisco at that time. I tell her this is why I had gray hair before I was 40. I found it was much harder after she got her license and I had to let her drive away from the house on her own.
ReplyDeleteStick shift and San Francisco?! Eek! You poor dear. At least I can be grateful we live in a small town. Thank you for the parenting comradery. :)
ReplyDeleteIn the US children can drive at 15?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in New Zealand I found out that they had that age limit, and apparently a lot of accidents involving teenage drivers. 15 seems ever so young when I look at my 15yo.
It's different in each state, but in Georgia it's age 15 for learner's permits and 16 to drive all alone. I think it's even 14 for learner's in some other states. Eek!
ReplyDeleteTeaching your child to drive is nerve wracking. When our teenaged daughter was learning to drive, I was so stressed out that I ended up in the hospital with an abnormal EKG. No kidding! I understand your hubby's concerns. (BTW-Our daughter turned out to be an exceptionally good driver)
ReplyDeleteThat's scary stuff. I hope your stress level improved and the EKG returned to normal. :)
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