Behind the wheel.

There are not too many things that truly frighten me, okay maybe sharks, snakes and bad guys, but nothing ranks up to getting into the car with a soon-to-be driver. If there is anyway to bring my nerves to the surface, this is the sure fire way to get it done.

We are at the halfway point when it comes to the number of kids who are now drivers in our family. I have to be honest, far and away my son won the award of bringing out the fear in me when it came to getting behind the wheel. When he first began driving, he asked, “Which peddle is for the gas and which is the brake?” I knew I was in for an adventure. I am happy to say, after his first year was behind him, and several dents and one accident later, he is a reliable driver. (Of course that was 10 years ago.)

My two daughters were nerve wracking---and I am sure they knew it. The imaginary brake on my side always comes out when we drive and so does the increase in speaking volume. Is it a control thing on my part? You bet it is. I like to drive, feel in more control when I drive, and 90% of the time I am the designated driver in our family. I hear that I drive too slowly, but in the end we get there.

We have all seen the driving school cars on the road and I often wonder how these men (mostly) and women handle this stress and tension. Yes these cars do have a brake on the passenger’s side, but you still have to be next to the new driver and cannot yell. At least I don’t think they are allowed to. This is one job you will never see me applying for—that’s a given.

All I know is when our last one is driving I will likely be 100% grey, frazzled and have little if any nerves left in my body that have not been stretched, exposed and frayed. Ugh.

The photo above is only the start. They climb in behind the wheel, start to twist and turn and suddenly they are driving. I am not sure if the driving age will be increased to 18 years old any time soon, but when it is, I will have 2 more years breathing room. I know kids are anxious to get “wheels,” but in the end we parents take the brunt of it all until our kids get pay back from their kids. I will be sure and remind them what they put me through.

Thanks for stopping by.