Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Drivers Ed

Knuckles white and holding on tight.  Seat belt securely fastened.  Airbags on.  Imaginary brake under my right foot.  A white flag ready to wave at a moments notice.  I have my ecclesiastical leader on speed dial and I sit wishing I was a crash test dummy that could not see or feel pain.  I am as ready as I'll ever be for my teenager to take the wheel.  Yes, Carrie Underwood, I too wish it was Jesus. 

In the state of Nevada, at the age of 151/2, a teen can take a 50 question test to receive their learners permit.  They can miss up to 10 questions.  Even if one of the questions missed was "what does a red light mean?", they still get their permit.  That's it.  They can then drive a 2 ton vehicle WITH NO DRIVING EXPERIENCE. AT. ALL.  They return to the DMV 6 months later with a mandatory 50 hours of driving under their belt to get their license.  What?  Who is supposed to teach them? Unless you want to pay a driving school to be in the car with them 24/7, it is all on the shoulders of the parents. 

In our house we are on our 3rd teenage driver.  You would think I would be used to it by now.  It would be like getting used to Stevie Wonder as your chauffeur.  Yes, we have survived our teen drivers without major incident. If you call a speeding ticket, for doing 90 on the freeway while also following too close, a minor infraction. 

When the car keys come out, 15 1/2 year old Sassy is worse than the dog when he sees his leash. 

Can I drive? 

Ummmmm.  No.
It's raining.
It's too sunny.
There are ducks in the road.
It's too dark.
I am in a hurry. (I am allowed to speed, she is not) 

So we have about 2 hours down and 48 to go and I am running out of excuses.  I use the word "we" liberally.  The father figure has no problem sitting in the passenger seat, reading the newspaper while the teenager takes to the road.  So he is the yin to the drivers yang.  He plays good cop and I am cop screaming and stressed out . The bad news is we have 3 more drivers to go, the good news is, by the time our last one is 16, I will be too old and desensitized to care.

Linda










17 comments:

Kristina P. said...

I think you should make sure to throw a stick shift in there, just to spice it up!

Steph said...

OMG! My son is 15 and can get his learner's anytime after passing the test. I am a bad (smart as heck) Mom and haven't taken him to the DMV... not ready for that quite yet.

I can feel your pain.

Meredith said...

i have so missed your posts! too funny. I'm already dreading the driving years and my kid is 16 months old. "Jesus take the wheel" is right.

Susie B. Homemaker said...

Eek, sounds like a scary experience. :p lol I have 10 more years to go before I have to worry about driver's training. If it makes you feel any better, I love the way this post was written! ;D

TisforTonya said...

my oldest is 15... and until he begs on bended knee I don't think we'll make it over to the DMV...

considering the picture - maybe I'll just tell him the DMV is closed for repairs, until he's 21

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

I can imagine how scary it is to teach your kid to drive. I am not looking forward to it.

annie valentine said...

You and Carrie Underwood. That was a good one, girlie.

And for the record, meeting you was the highlight of my very short conference. Damn baby.

foxy said...

I have to say, that is not a day that I look forward to! Even though it's a looooooooooong way away.

CB said...

Twins!! I am doing the same thing with our 4th driver right now. In Idaho they can get their permit at 15 but they do have to take a 2 week Drivers Ed. course that includes 8 hours of driving with the instructor before they take the 100 question test and are handed their permit.
Then they have to drive 50 hours with their parents for 6 months before they can get their license at 15 1/2.
I would be scared if they didn't have the Drivers Ed. first. With all the instruction and the scary accident movies to scary the heebie jeebies out of them.
I have to admit my husband is also the one who is calm and collected in the car. I put on lots of padding and grab the roof and the dashboard alot!

Good luck!!

Momza said...

Oh how I feel your pain!
I am NOT good to sit in the passenger seat with a new driver. My bum muscles are like steel when the ride is over though, so there's a bonus if I don't die.
My dh on the other hand is like yours...so calm and helpful.
We have 3 drivers yet to go. And the almost 16 yr old is already driving me nuts about her turn to drive. I can't take it I tell you!

Susie @ A Slice of My Life said...

I'm so thankful that our state has much tougher laws about new drivers. Kids can get permits at 15 1/2 if they are enrolled in a (spendy) 6 week driver's ed class, then get their licence after 6 months and the 50 hours of drive time. Then, they can't drive anyone under 18 for another 6 months. I think it helps.

My youngest just got her license...so far, so good!

Allyson & Jere said...

The DAY I turned 15 I felt entitled to drive. I insisted that my Mom let me back the car out of the driveway to begin. So, that lasted awhile, and then I insisted on driving up the street, or around the block. That was all good, until then, I just started sneaking the car out on my own and driving around the neighborhood, ad if I was feeling realllly saucy, I drove onto the main road for a minute. I got my permit at 15 1/2 and amazingly, my parents let me drivet school 2 days a week with my friend who had her license. THEN, here's the kicker. I drove MYSELF to the DMV on my 16th birthday where my Dad met me, signed the papers and left. Honestly, I have really great, law abiding parents, I don't know WHAT crack they were smoking.

I can't imagine the terror that must fill you each time you get in the passenger seat. Good luck!

Travis@CarCheckup said...

You should look over a few teen driving contracts. They can help set expectations so that everyone is on the same page, knows their responsibilities, and know the ramifications of breaking those rules.

We have a free one on our site, but you can google for more.

http://www.carcheckup.com/teendriving

The name escapes me, but I'm pretty sure there is an advanced driving school right there in Vegas. You may want to look into that. They teach skills like emergency braking, skid control, collision avoidance, and they give the teen the ability to practice those skills.

Hang in there!

Cheeseboy said...

Ugh. I am NOT looking forward to these days. I think I best start saving now because I am going to need to pay the drivers ed school for 24-7 supervision.

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

All I can say to you is hang onto your underwear.
You'll never be desensitized.
Ever.

Vanessa said...

Oh how I remember those days... Dad was the cool one. Mom... Well... She had her moments. Just coming by to say we miss you blogging where have you gone my blogger friend? Hope all is well.

Valerie said...

I'll be in your shoes so soon, way too soon. My oldest will be 15 in a few months. I hope we both make it through this. :)

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