A super tired mom and a crazed anxious daughter are not the best combinations for a first driving experience. Here's what happened. I took her to the grammar school parking lot. It was empty and large enough for turning and parking and backing up. The daughter couldn't tell the difference between the gas and brake even after repeatedly trying each one out. She didn't understand why I wanted her to drive between the rows and turn at the end. (Perhaps to practice driving straight, stopping and turning?!)
After white-knuckling the steering wheel and stopping again and again she complained that the school janitor was watching her and it was freaking her out. I told her I wasn't going to take her on a real road until she and I had some confidence in her driving. So just shut up and drive. Next a woman walking a dog stopped to watch us, which started another freak out. I changed places with her and went across town to the junior high, which was having open house night of course. I finally drove around to a quiet street and decided to let her try street driving.
She did o.k. at 5 miles an hour until a car 2 blocks up started to back out of it's driveway. This started another freak out. "OMG!" I said to her. "How will you drive on the street with cars all around you if you freak out over every little thing?" She ended up driving all of 3 blocks and I needed a Pepcid when it was over.
She decided that driving on the street was better cause it goes straight. I reminded her that not all streets are straight and you have to turn sometime.
I know all of this sounds terrible but she was really better than her brother when he drove for the first time. I'm not looking forward to the second time, perhaps her brother will take her.
1 comment:
My daughter is almost 23, a regional manager for a company, travels, and has no desire to get her license. Go figure. Maybe some people just shouldn't drive!
Fun post for mothers!
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