Teens & Driving
Some teens turn 16 and already have the drivers test appointment, wake up early and can’t WAIT to get that permit that will allow them to be independent and take this first step toward adulthood.
Other teens lallygag with the whole thing and they have their reasons which they may or may not share.
We have 5 kids and we experienced the gamut of reactions to the impending 16th birthday.
The “early riser and can’t wait to take the test” kid.
The “I’ll get to it when I get to it” kid.
The “I’m gonna stretch this out as long as possible” kid.
The “I want to drive every day for any reason” kid.
The “what’s the rush, time means nothing to me” kid.
We chose to do the parent route of drivers ed and took each of the kids out for the 40 hours until their little log book tallied the proper number and they took their written test.
With our 4 boys this took about 1 -1 ½ years.
They learned how to drive, parallel park, and back in with a BIG Suburban, tiny Honda Civic and mid-size SUV.
They learned stick shift and automatic.
They drove in all 4 seasons and mom took them out in snow to test their braking, handling spin outs and just because I wanted more grey hair!
My daughter just wasn’t that INTO driving.
She really couldn’t care too much about it.
Sure, she wanted her license but that sticky part about driving time… she just wasn’t interested.
So, she got the permit, mastered the basics and we waited.
We offered.
We let her drive on errands and we hoped the thrill of driving would eventually sink in.
Fast forward 1 ½ years and we still only had about 24 hours of driving time logged.
What to do?
Well, mom had the great idea to plan a New England road trip!
After talking it over with the hubby and making sure I had a good fun spin on the idea I pitched it to the girl
“Hey sweetie, how about we do something really different and fun for your 5-day winter break?” Her interest was piqued.
“I’m thinking about a road trip through all of New England and maybe into Canada. Your brothers never did anything like this (always good to be different from your brothers) and I thought it would be a neat way to get lots of driving time, spend some time together before graduation and college and you’d get to see CANADA!” She was sold!
I got maps (the old school paper ones) from AAA, she helped map the route and we talked about what things interested her for stops. I booked inexpensive hotels (with coupons, rebates and Rakuten of course) and we were off.
She was sold! I got maps (the old school paper ones) from AAA, she helped map the route and we talked about what things interested her for stops. I booked inexpensive hotels (with coupons, rebates and Rakuten of course) and we were off.
We had a great time, made some fabulous memories and learned how to problem solve on more than one occasion.
Every road trip has to have glitches so ours came before we even started. The gas door was stuck shut! After a 2-hour repair with a new actuator installed, we were finally off but now had to revise the route due to a much later start. We discussed, found a new route and she began the drive.
I learned when to push and when to lay off. She was just too tired to drive the first hour of the day because she’s a night owl and felt she wouldn’t be as alert. I understood this and drove early on most days and she drove late into the night.
She learned how to merge on VERY busy highways, how to pump gas, how to read maps, how to revise a route, how to plan the day, how to check into hotels and manage the schedule.
We listened to each other and compromised on what to do each day and where to go and what we’d eat.
There wasn’t a lot of chat time in the car because she was really concentrating when she was driving but we did get to chat over meals and at night. We talked about school, college, family, boys, adulting, and future plans. It was really fun to see her heart!
We ate in small family diners, grabbed homemade sandwiches from a country store deli, dined in an outdoor igloo and sat by a toasty the fire in an old restaurant. We shopped and each bought mementos of the trip we can enjoy.
We drove through 5 states, plus Canada, put over 1,000 miles on the car and she drove for over 13 hours!
We ate in small family diners, grabbed homemade sandwiches from a country store deli, dined in an outdoor igloo and sat by a toasty the fire in an old restaurant. We shopped and each bought mementos of the trip we can enjoy.
We drove through 5 states, plus Canada, put over 1,000 miles on the car and she drove for over 13 hours!
Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. You make it up on many things as you go. What works for 1 kid or 4 kids may not work for the 5th kid. Just as we learn to flex and grow as parents, our kids learn those things right alongside us, when we are transparent with them.
This road trip was really cool. Not just because we went in February and it was -7 when our sunroof got stuck open for half a day but because we truly let ourselves be open to enjoy the moment. To talk, to listen, to share, to problem solve, to plan, to spend time together, to laugh, to have new private jokes, to hold hands to pray publicly for our food and for those serving us, to bless others randomly along our path and to make lasting memories – that’s what this trip ended up being all bout.
So, we got most of the driving hours, yes, but we got so much more!
Is there something in your life that NEEDS to be accomplished but you can do it in a most unique and absurd way that will thrill your child or teen and make a memory too?
Think outside the box, take a road trip and enjoy what God shows you along the way about yourself, your kids, your priorities and you might just be surprised in the end!
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