Took The Youngest For His First Driving Lesson...In A Manual

 For the other kids, we had a spunky little Pontiac on which they learned to drive. The car was small, maneuverable, and perhaps most importantly, kind of dinged up so if the kids hit a light post or a curb a little too fast, the result would not be a big deal.

We still have the Pontiac Vibe. It sits in our driveway unused. It's almost a 20 year-old car and it has some issues, to the point where we need to put some money in it for me to feel safe to have it back on the road. My youngest has reached the age where he needs to get his license.

The Pontiac is not available...

Turns out, my Subaru is.

This wouldn't be a big deal, but unlike the Pontiac, the Subaru does not have an automatic transmission...it's a manual.

Time to sound like an old man now...In my day, when I learned to drive, there were many more vehicles with manual transmissions. My first car--Greenie, the 1965 VW bug--was a manual. It's what I drove as I learned to drive. My son wanted to drive the Subaru instead of our minivan. Makes sense--the van is bigger. We drove down to the place that had the largest parking lot (our local church...). I parked the car. My son and I switched places. Then the fun began.

I've helped teach my other children, so I've done it before. This, however, was unlike the others. To my son's credit, he handled the experience with more composure than I might have at his age. It was frustrating, but he wanted to keep going, wanted to learn. And, the car made it though the ordeal pretty much unscathed.

For those who have driven or currently drive manual transmission vehicles, you know it's a different experience. Personally, I'm glad I still have a vanishing breed of car. I'm glad my son wants to learn how to drive one, too.

Rite Of Passage...

 After an hour's wait, our son emerged, a big smile on his face. He successfully navigated the first obstacle in his quest to become a legal driver.

A rite of passage.

Around forty years ago, I walked into a similar state building, took a similar test, and came out with a piece of paper. A few months later, I had in my hand a piece of paper wrapped in plastic It had on it my name, date of birth, weight, eye color, hair color (back when I had hair...), and the address where I lived.

It also represented something, something a teenager most desperately wanted...

Freedom.

It's hard to express what a drivers license meant to a high school kid. Back when entertainment had to be visited...it did not come to you. Well, some did, but not everything. You wanted to see a movie, you had to go to it. To see a concert--same thing. It meant hanging out with friends, going to dances, to sporting events, to school not on a bus. It was glorious. It meant we were becoming adults.

Times have changed. Driving seems to have lost its shine to the younger generation. That's foreign to me, can't imagine it. My son wanted to get his learners permit. He wants to learn how to drive and get his license. I'm glad he does...almost as glad as he looked coming out of that building.