Driver's Education, 5th and final time to have to endure

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fitz
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Our youngest is now 25, God bless her, we have lived through a total of 4 getting their DL’s. Where we haved lived over the course of those years never did have any form of public transpertation, so there was no way of getting out of our white knucle duty. I am happy to report that they have all turned out to be good drivers, though in the early days we had our concerns with the 3 youngest of them. Just when you think you’re in the free and clear of all of it, no more nightmares, etc., then the grandkids start, lol. Our oldest daughter’s first born is now 13, this means it’s only 2 more years before she starts D.E., but I am already thinking that it’s time to take her on some dirt roads and get her started behind the wheel.

I was her age when my dad started with me, I really learned how to drive on highway construction jobsites. Of course it was after hours, and it was new construction so there were no other cars around at all, just all the heavy equipment, safely parked for the day. Talk about a obsticle course,lol, but I was better prepared for real highway conditions than many of my peers by the time I got my D.L. I still thank my dad to this day for all the lessons he gave me, even now that I have to drive with hand controls I am still at ease on the road, and yes I do love to drive even in todays traffic conditions.
God bless you Fitz, and all the other parents out there who take the necessary time to make sure you are doing your best to put safe young drivers on the road.
Linda H.
 
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chicago:
Move back to the city, Fitz! Then you can just tell your kid that there’s no need to drive, as the CTA will get you everywhere you need to go.
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How true, but there are other problems there.
 
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chicago:
Like bad drivers?
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That is one of the things on my list. I love the people in the city and don’t get me wrong. I had a great 17yrs in the city and my older three children feel like city kids. However, I moved farther out 8 years ago and there is some great advantages in the burbs too.
 
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SeekerJen:
Fitz-

Believe me, it’s no picnic for the kids, either. When I was in driver’s ed and practicing with my parents, I actually had to pull over on a side street and ask my mom to either stop shrieking in fear at everything (and I mean everything: parked cars to which I gave several feet of clearance, oncoming traffic, stop signs, left turns, etc.), or get out of the car so I could get home safely. The constant shrieking was so distracting that it nearly caused me to have accidents, where I otherwise would have been fine.

The problem was easily solved by having my dad sit in the passenger seat- he would bring along the latest issue of “Golf” magazine, sit back, and glance up every few minutes to check the surroundings. I passed my tests with very high scores, have been driving for 10 years now, and have a better driving record than my mom (I haven’t been in an accident nor have I ever gotten a ticket for anything other than parking violations).
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Now that is funny. Brings back memories of my mother cringing at every parked car, and my father yelling during most of my drive. It was warm weather and I truly was embarrassed because people could hear him with the windows rolled down.

Also, he couldn’t figure out why I wouldn’t want to practice parallel parking on our cul de sac with all of the neighbors watching while he is yelling. At least my mother talked him out of that bright idea.

I came from a very highly strung family and I work on not repeating their errors every day. I was loved dearly, but they were not calm people. “SERENITY NOW!”
 
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bapcathluth:
I came from a very highly strung family and I work on not repeating their errors every day. I was loved dearly, but they were not calm people. “SERENITY NOW!”
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Since we tend to turn into our parents as we age, may I ask if you have any children of driving age yet?
 
I learned to drive in a Chevy one ton van. The thing was huge and very known around town. That was years and years and years ago. I bet there are still the grip marks on the passenger door from my mom. What goes around comes around. I have years and years before mine are driving. I don’t evny you.
 
Emily Watson:
I learned to drive in a Chevy one ton van. The thing was huge and very known around town. That was years and years and years ago. I bet there are still the grip marks on the passenger door from my mom. What goes around comes around. I have years and years before mine are driving. I don’t evny you.
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Oh Emily, the years go by ever so quickly! Just a warning. I can’t believe this is my baby I am talking about.
 
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Fitz:
Oh Emily, the years go by ever so quickly! Just a warning. I can’t believe this is my baby I am talking about.
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Time has gone by so fast already. Soon their three wheeled tricycles will turn into two wheeled bikes then into four wheeled cars. Oh, these milestones.
 
Emily Watson:
Time has gone by so fast already. Soon their three wheeled tricycles will turn into two wheeled bikes then into four wheeled cars. Oh, these milestones.
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Yeah, and I am sure you have been told this a million times- treasure these times. It is hard raising children but the time goes by so very quickly. I can’t even tell you how fast high school goes.
 
Emily Watson:
Time has gone by so fast already. Soon their three wheeled tricycles will turn into two wheeled bikes then into four wheeled cars. Oh, these milestones.
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And, if they’re boys, then they might want to move onto trains!
 
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Fitz:
Since we tend to turn into our parents as we age, may I ask if you have any children of driving age yet?
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I have eight years left to go with my oldest. Hopefully, I will have learned some better reactions than, “@#@# watch out for the #@* car.” I can’t believe my father survived teaching me to drive a stick shift and didn’t have apoplexy. Once, at age 16, I left the manual transmission car in our driveway, and I forgot to put it in first gear with the emergency brake on. I then went into the house.

The car rolled backwards down the hill, jumped the curb and ended up in the middle of our across the street neigbors’ yard. By some miracle it didn’t hit a tree or another car or a person. Actually my parents remained very calm about that one. Probably because they weren’t actually in the car!

We found out about the incident because the neighbors came over and rang our doorbell to inform us where our car was.
 
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bapcathluth:
The car rolled backwards down the hill, jumped the curb and ended up in the middle of our across the street neigbors’ yard. By some miracle it didn’t hit a tree or another car or a person. Actually my parents remained very calm about that one. Probably because they weren’t actually in the car!

We found out about the incident because the neighbors came over and rang our doorbell to inform us where our car was.
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:rotfl: I can laugh as long as no one got hurt, right? SO when your children do something like that you will have to grin and bear it. The only thing is, you are not helping me want to go throught this driving experience one more time. I am just having a few laughs about it. I will be fine. :bigyikes:
 
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