A Driving Fear

It has been 10 months since my last post. I can't believe it. The time is flying by and I am not sure why I haven't posted, other than I have a lot going on. A lot has transpired in the last 10 months, especially with the kids. The son turned 15 in January and the girl is now 13. (A subject for another blog, for sure!) But the thing I have to talk about is the day that all parents dread, I think, more than anything...the day their teenager gets his or her LEARNER"S PERMIT!!!

It was early May when the son announced he was ready to take his written test for his permit. The wife and I glanced at each other with fear and then I replied, "Are you sure?" I guess I was hoping he would say "Well, maybe I do need to study more." But, alas, he said he was ready. I told him I would try and get off work early one day to take him. A few days later, he reminded me that I had said I would get off work early to take him for his test. (Darn, he remembered!!) I was sure that he had not studied enough, as we had not seen him even crack the book. I was also sure that he could not have learned enough about driving laws and road rules from just observing us drive (especially me!) This would be another good life-lesson about studying and preparation and it would also give us more time to prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the white-knuckle, hair-raising task of teaching our teenager to drive. I started preparing the talk (a.k.a. 'lecture'), in my mind as we walked through the door of the DMV.

As I walked out of the DMV with my 'boy', who is now 6 feet tall, beaming proudly and in possession of a newly-minted driving permit, I found myself actually feeling a little proud of him. He was about to embark on that manly right-of-passage of getting behind the wheel and learning how to drive. It was another step on his road to independence that all of us remember fondly. I was jerked back to the present very quickly when I heard him say, "Can I drive home?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Errr, its rush hour and I don't want you driving for the first time in bumper-to-bumper traffic."

"Okay." (Whew! That was close.)

As I look back at when he did drive for the first time, my neck and back would have welcomed the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Let's just say that he wasn't aware of how fast a 6-cylinder sedan can accelerate or how quickly it stops when you subsequently slam on the brakes.

It has been almost 2 months now and I have to say that he is doing well with his driving. He has driven on the highway, all the way to the lake, and all over town. He has also driven in that dreaded rush-hour traffic. We have not had any close-calls (I am knocking on wood as I type that) and I have not had to say a whole lot to him except instructional things and, of course, to tell him to watch his speed. Just like all teenagers, the radio is the most important piece of equipment in the car to him. He also likes to drive with one hand to look cool. (I have no idea where he got this from!!) It is also amazing how, in just a few months, he has become an expert in the field of driving and is very quick to critique anyone he is riding in the car with. My big fear is that he will get to comfortable and relaxed and forget what an awesome responsibility driving is. But, for now, I think he is doing well.

It is still kind of hard for me to look over and believe that he is actually driving. It was just yesterday that the only car I had to worry about, where he was concerned, was the matchbox car he put down the toilet. Now I have to look forward to those days and nights of praying alot and no sleep until I hear the car pull in the driveway...the same thing that my and the wife's parents experienced oh so many years ago.

So, this is just another step we must go through as parents to prepare our kids to go out into the world. I get that...but, this one is scarier. This one involves a dangerous activity, where you not only have to worry about your kid and what they are doing and how they will react to different situations, but you also have to worry about everyone else that is out there behind the wheel of a car. Something can happen in the blink of an eye or the glance at a text.

Dear Lord, protect him.