Driving

In less than 2 weeks, B. turns 15. Around 7 months after that, he is old enough to drive with an adult in the car. It won't be me.

I am unclear how kids learn to drive these days. I learned on a beach - 18 miles of white sand. In a '64 Chevy pickup truck that had been converted into a beach buggy. Big tires, open engine. With a stick shift and built before there was 'power steering' or anything automatic. The thing was a tank. Getting it started (and keeping it started) was the first hurdle. Getting it out of the driveway (and still running) was the 2nd. Once you were in a forward gear and on the beach on harder sand, you were OK - for now. But you knew that you still had to turn it around at some point, shift gears at others...all of which had additional obstacles.

It was a big deal to be old enough to drive the buggy. It was a huge responsibility and mistakes had serious consequences. If you got stuck below the high tide line and couldn't get un-stuck before the tide came back in, you were screwed. And in BIG trouble with your parents. At the worst, you would get stuck and spend a good part of your day walking back mile after mile for help. Everyone with cabins on the beach watched out for each other - so people would come looking for you eventually. Or, someone on the way to a favorite fishing spot would come along and offer you a ride. You learned to make sure you had snacks and plenty of drinking water 'cuz a quick trip down the beach could turn into an all day event.

Learning to drive in a 'tank' on the beach taught me a lot of things that make me a good 'defensive' driver today. I learned to think ahead. Pay attention. Stay aware and focused and thought-full about the actions you were taking. Don't go in the soft sand above the tide line but don't go too close to the water or into 'sinking sand' near the edge. It was hard to drive. Hard to use a clutch, steer with no power steering. A lot to think about at once - so it made you be careful and THINK HARD and stay focused. When I finally did the required driver's ed classes and got my license, driving in the city in a 'regular' car was a breeze compared to my previous driving experiences.

B. has never been behind the wheel of anything. Well, OK, he had a 'car' he used to ride in when he was a baby and he LOVED THAT THING. But he doesn't know how to drive. And we're supposed to teach him. Who made that rule? This is a wonderful kid who's smart and fun - but he doesn't put the lid back on the toothpaste and frequently misses the toilet when he pees. How is he going to drive? Who decided that 15 and 7 months is the age he should drive?

People say 'there are driving schools'. Yeah, right. I'm going to turn my kid loose in a car with a complete stranger who makes a living teaching people to drive. I question that person's career choice. Really. Who would WANT THAT JOB? People who can't find any other job, that's who. And what if it's MY kid who ends up being involved in 'first fatality at ABC Driving School'. I won't risk it. No driving instructor's going to die of heart failure 'cuz of my kid. No,no,no - not going to happen.

So it will be me and J. that figure out how to teach him. In a parking lot on Sundays, to start. Get him used to the forward motion and control. Then try backing up w/ no cars around. We'll progress from there. I hope. I pray....I really do.