Yikes!

I knew this day would roll around eventually.  On one hand I’m glad it’s here, if for no other reason than to get it out of the way.  On the other hand, I am probably not the best choice for this particular job.

Teaching my youngest daughter to drive…

Just a fun song about a car…

She’s actually doing quite well, given that she’s learning in a big Pontiac Montana.  It’s Mom who’s not doing so well.  Actually I’m doing better than I thought I might.  At least my blood pressure was still within the normal range at my last doctor’s appointment.  I kind of figured it would be off the charts…

First, I’ve only been driving again for a few months, after more than two and a half years off, thanks to the red light runner who totaled my other van.  Next on the list is the fact that I’m still a little nervous on the road myself.  And finally…it’s not the best time of year to be learning this skill.

We’ve already dealt with snow, lots of rain, a flooded road, and five deer running out in front of her.  Fortunately that was within the first few weeks when she wasn’t comfortable driving over forty so she was able to stop in plenty of time.  I’ll bet since I started driving…awhile ago…that I haven’t had three deer run out in front of me.  But it was so bad for a while that I started calling her a deer magnet.

Then there was the airhead pulling out of the high school parking lot.  The one who somehow managed not to see the big van with the headlights on.  I have to say this about my daughter…she is very good about hitting the brakes quickly if the need arises (and you don’t want to be reaching over to honk the horn when she does!).  In this instance, she was also pretty good at cranking the wheel hard to the right to avoid being sideswiped by that idiot.  Yup.  She put us up over the curb – and still stopped in time to avoid crashing into the speed limit sign and telephone pole that were right there in front of us.

Another fun song about driving.  My daughter isn’t allowed to listen to either one of them…

It’s certainly been interesting to see how she’s progressed over the past couple of months.  She’s getting better at parking but still doesn’t like driving on the freeway at night.  ‘Talking’ is apparently a distraction – but music is not.  She’s also gotten enough experience under her belt that she’s starting to rebel at further instruction from me…so we’re butting heads on a fairly regular basis.  But I continue to remind her that it takes a long time to become a good driver and if she wants to continue driving, this is the way it’s going to be.

It’s my van.  More importantly, it’s my daughter.  When this whole learning thing is over, they’re both going to be in as perfect condition as they were when we started.

My favorite song about driving.  She’s not listening to this one either.  If she’s in a car with anyone it will be both eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel…or Mom will be kicking some butts.

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10 Responses to Yikes!

  1. You are far braver than I am, Kristy. We sent our boys to driver training. Part of the incentive was that up here in Canada, it gave them a reduction on their insurance. But the biggest reason, neither my honey or I could stand the stress of the training. Yikes!

    • I don’t know if it’s brave so much as just knowing that she’s a fairly cautious young lady. She will have to take her road test through a training school though. The state doesn’t do that anymore. But so far I’m holding up. Except for those few scares…and one that involved looking at Christmas lights when eyes SHOULD have been on the road, she’s doing good. 🙂

  2. I’m so glad my kids are beyond that. we had a freak snow storm Monday night. it rained, froze and then snowed an inch or two. my daughter is a confident great driver and it took her an hour to go about a mile. sheer ice. she kept calling me to tell me to avoid that road and her calls were driving me crazy because I couldn’t answer – since I was driving.

    anyway, we all got home ok, altho it took 90 minutes longer than it should have.

    and in truth, she’s a way better driver than me.

    • I don’t mind driving on snow at all…but ice? Oh I hate that. And it seems like road crews make it worse when they go through and plow all the snow, leaving nothing but the slick stuff underneath. I’m sorry you, your daughter, and everyone else where you live had to experience that. Sounds like they should have sanded the roads…or at least salted them. Maybe both! Glad you both made it home safely! 🙂

  3. Oh don’t you hate how fast our kids grow up Kristy? And the driving thing. Don’t even remind me. I aged a decade I think through the whole process. LOL! Good to see that you have a resposible daughter who is cautious behind the wheel.

    Hey listen girl. You did win a prize. Everyone won something! So come
    and get it! 🙂

    • I do hate that, Karen! I can’t tell you how many times I wish I could turn back time (knowing what I know now, of course). I miss the whole toddler time, and the time when the kids thought I was intelligent. And I completely understand the whole aging a decade thing. Sometimes I want to turn the rear view mirror to see if my hair has gone white. 🙂

  4. Debra Kristi says:

    I got my learner’s permit as soon as I was able. My father had me drive all the way home, stopping at the race track to practice in their large, empty parking lot along the way. That night we were going out to dinner and my dad said, “Let Debbie drive.” It was dark and raining. My mom was horrified and said, “WHAT?!” Well, I drove. A little stiff and nervous, but my father had confidence in me and I didn’t want to let him down. I did fine.

    Several weeks later I was alone in the car with my mother and parking in a lot. I could tell the car wasn’t going to make the turn so I was applying the brake. All of the sudden my mother screams at the top of her lungs. Scared the hell out of me. I jumped, hit the ceiling and came down on the gas. Do I need to tell you the rest?

    I agree, some kids need more watching than others. I’ve seen it, and I think I have one of those. But sometimes you can’t let them see you’re scared.

    • LOL…your dad sounds like someone I’d liked to have known. The kind of parent who knows you’re not going to learn how to swim if you don’t get your feet wet. I am more inclined to be like your mom and have to work really hard to avoid an all out panic at times because I don’t want HER to panic. But hearing what happened to someone else when ‘Mom’ did is a riot!

  5. Katrina says:

    My daughter is certified gifted (IQ at age 4, was 110 – I’m not sure anyone knows what it is now exactly) but she is not the best driver and learning to drive was horrifying for all of us. Her then boyfriend and I fought regularly over who’s turn it was to take her out to practice. The only reason she passed her driving test at 17 was because she was: 17, petite, blonde hair, blue eyes, and the State Trooper giving her the test was probably barely old enough to wear the uniform. I feel your pain. Good Luck!

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