Sunday, November 4, 2007

Driving with a new teenage driver

I've reached that section of life that all parents arrive to when their children turn the ripe old age of 16. They know everything including how to drive. 6 hours of driving school and their the experts.
Now I understand why my mother never rode anywhere with me behind the steering wheel.
Curves are taken at a much faster pace and the car always seems to be on two wheels. Of course, they're not they just seem that way. I have to say I've never stomped the invisible brake on my floor board so hard or gripped the dashboard and car door handle so much to stay in the seat and I've got the seatbelt on.. But I'm wrong?
I guess it doesn't help that I tend to chant the mantra of Dustin Hoffman's character in 'Rainman"..I'm an excellent driver...and time for Wapner.
The occasional 'I'm gonna die' tends to slip out at times too when he gets a bit too close to the car in front of us. And I should have the strongest leg of all times with all the stomping I keep doing on the passenger side of the car. One of these days, I'll probably pull a Fred Flintstone and
push my feet through to the ground...ouch!
How is it that when you try to remain calm and explain what was done wrong, they look at you
like your that creature popping out of the guys stomach in that scary movie? Like--what moi did something wrong--no way. He knows it all.
Thank god for hair dye because he's turning it grayer at a phenomenal pace.
But I have decided, learning to drive a stick shift is all his Father's pleasure. I've done my time.
The only good thing riding around with a 16 year old driver has done..its kept the blood flowing to the brain and many ideas of how to kill off the villain have popped into my head. many have ties to driving a car with a teenager.
Thanks for listening to my rant
Tara Nina
www.taranina.com

4 comments:

Diana Hunter said...

Oh, Tara! I feel your pain. I have a 17-year-old daughter who dragged her heels getting her permit (didn't get it until 2 months before her 17th birthday) and now, five months later, still drives only when we tell her to. She'd so much rather have mummy and daddy take her places than have to drive herself!

In the meantime, her brother is fast approaching 16 (another 7 months) and I'm putting money down that says he gets his license first. He's chomping at the bit, begging us to let him behind the wheel now so he can "practice" for when he's 16. Lord, help us all!

Diana
PS. I'm the one in my family that drives stick. I told them both to get there licenses and THEN I'll teach them the more arcane manner of driving. :)

Lynn LaFleur said...

I feel for you, Tara. I can remember several times when I was taking Drivers' Ed and my instructor almost pushed his foot through the floorboard on the passenger side. I flunked parallel parking. To this day (and I'm way past 16), I still can't do it.

Just keep those ideas churning! We'll all get another wonderful book from you out of all that blood flowing to your brain.

Lynn

Titania Ladley said...

LOL, it can really age a parent, that's for sure. I think I skipped 2 decades when my twins hit 16. That was 5 years ago...but now I have my youngest up next. He just got his permit last week, turned 16 yesterday, and still has that long trial period to go before he can get his "real" license and drive alone without us there tutoring him. I must say, though, he's much easier than the twins were!

Take some deep breaths and do a lot of praying---LOL! You'll get through it. And it's true, it'll probably give you inspiration in your writing. ;)

Titania

N.J.Walters said...

Poor, Tara. Hopefully, you'll both survive his teenage years.