Learning to Drive

That's what my almost 16 year old is doing. Learning to Drive - perhaps I should call it "Adrenaline in a Bottle". The way my heart is racing sometimes - I could practically call it an aerobic work out. Really, she's doing pretty good. But WOW.

You know we started off pretty easy. DH took her the first time. Let her go 40 down a gravel road at first, then up to 60. Took her round Headingley a bit getting her used to cornering. I've taken her out a few more times. You'd think given our personalities (DH & I) that I'd be the one to hold back, take it easy and let her off the leash very gradually. NOPE, I've had her do speed limit up to 80, let her back into the garage, go down gravel roads in the rain, drive with her sister in the car and Tuesday night (in the dark) drove home from super store, out the parkade, merging on Portage Avenue and home down the #1. BUT - I hear drivers ed coaches pull no punches. They just take you and go full on, right from the get go. SO - my theory is lots of practice. She starts in-car with drivers ed next week. I wonder how many bad habits I've already let her develop?? Probably not that many - I've told her that with driving she must do as I say - not as I do. Who better to teach than one who has been in as many accidents as I LOL. Don't get me wrong. I've taken her through very forgiving neighborhoods with wide streets, parking lots with only 2 cars, and a street where she had the ability to go through a stop sign with no ill effects aside from the mortification of having blown through it. An hour is about as much as I can do in one shot, then I'm ready to take that Novice Driver sign out of the window and take control again!!

I've only had to almost grab the wheel from her once and DH dearly wishes we had a drivers ed car with the extra brake, but I think she's going to do just fine. One step at a time. She will be a better driver than both of us one day. With driving, the true teacher is experience. If you have the luxury of making mistakes that don't kill you, you learn.