Driving With Your Teenager

When my son got his learners permit about three months ago, I had spent some time preparing myself for what may lie ahead. I reasoned with myself remembering that I learned to drive when I was 15 and so did all my friends. And as far as I know, we are all still in one piece. I was convinced that I could stay calm no matter what happened when my son was driving.

The first time I took my son out driving, it was my first time driving with him but he had driven before with an instructor. That gave me some initial piece of mind. I hadn't heard anything negative from the instructor so I was feeling confident.

My son slowly backed out of the driveway. I told him to put his foot on the brake and put the car in drive. Instead, he left the car in reverse and pushed the petal to the metal. Luckily, he didn't hit any parked cars or even worse; a person.

Once we made it through that incident, he drove down our street and out into the world. And all the time I had spent preparing went right out the window.

I hissed and screamed at him for every tiny mistake. What it took me a while to realize is that I was making a big mistake.

I was doing more damage to him than I was to myself. Imagine being behind the wheel of a car; you have close to no clue what to expect and someone is sitting next to completely freaking out about everything you do.

Yes, that's what I did and I'm not proud of myself. I hope that anyone reading this will not get in the car with their child unless they are sure they can handle it. Seriously, if you're not up to the task, ask your husband or a family member for help. Your child will appreciate it.