Night Driving With My Son...

 My father died when I was eight-years old. I remember much of that time. I think I grew up fast the moment my mom sat me down--she sat all three of us down individually--and told me my father had passed away. It wasn't a shock or a surprise--he had been sick for months and not getting better.

Even that young, I thought I understood what that meant for me.

It's understandable...I had no idea.

Thankfully, I had a big brother who did things for me that would have been done by my dad, namely, teaching me how to drive. Since we live in America, having a car and a drivers license is the norm, especially out west. I remember the first time my brother and I took out the family car, a 1977 Pontiac Ventura (think Chevy Nova, but with a Pontiac shield on it...). We drive on the back roads of western Farmington. Don't look for those areas now. The roads are still there, but they're no longer "back roads."

 I grew up, got married, and had children of our own. They've grown up and are doing the things I once did. Thankfully, I'm there for them to help do those things. 

Tonight, my son and I went night driving. He's the last child working toward his license and we're within an hour or two of the night driving requirement. Since it's at night, about the time he comes up and asks if we should go driving, many times I'm beat. After long 10-hour shifts, I just want to sit on the couch, but I do get up and go for a couple of reasons. One, is that I genuinely want to help. I want to see him achieve his goal.

And secondly, it will soon be over. In no time at all he'll never need to ask me to go with him. He'll go by himself wherever he needs to go. I won't hear the question, "Dad, you want to go driving?" With each step closer to his goal, it means one less opportunity to be with him, one fewer chance to help. It's a humbling thought.

Helping my kids learn to drive is just one more thing that approaches, arrives, and then is gone. As I walked into the house tonight, the sun having set and darkness engulfing the roads, the homes, fields, everything...

Just like our times together...it all ends, eventually.

That First Time...Your Child Turns On To The Interstate

 It's time...

Doesn't make it any less scary.

We have four children, two of which are drivers. They completed their required driving hours, took the test, and got their licenses. They're both good drivers. I spent many of those driving hours with both of them. Now, our third driver has gotten behind the wheel--it's his turn.

As parents of multiple children know, no two are alike. They have different likes, dislikes, habits, idosyncrasies. Also, they drive differently. Both my wife and I have taken turns taking out the child. He is getting better and better every day.

Today was the day to drive the interstate.

We live in a rural area. For some reason, we have several interstate on-ramps and off-ramps close to our house. It's the perfect place to test the waters. I wanted to make sure he was comfortable with it, so I asked. He said he'd like to try. We drove down the street and turned right.

Truth be told, I shouldn't have been worried. And, I wasn't too worried in reality. But, the thought of a non-licensed driver flying down the road in excess of 70 m.p.h., well...it can get to you.

We got on the freeway with no cars/trucks/motorcycles behind us. We took a turn a mile or so down the road and exited the interstate a few miles after that. I asked how he felt. He said he felt pretty good about it and that he'd done a good job. He was right--he had.

We drove around town, then tried the interstate another time. Once again, he did well.

It was time. It didn't make it less scary.

Student Driver...The Magnet I Didn't Know I Needed

I've seen them on cars here and there, the yellow "Student Driver" magnets on the back of cars. I kept thinking, it would have been nice to have that back when I was the passenger to a student driver a few years ago.

Plus, I thought those magnets were only available for high school and/or driver school personnel.

Nope.

Now, the common driver can have them, too.

A few months ago we were looking for yard sale signs when we came across the magnet. And we bought it. And the next time I put it on the back of our minivan when my youngest and I went out to get more hours behind the wheel.

Those of you who have experienced the white-knuckle joy of helping a child hone their driving skills, there's a lot to take in. You need to make sure the driver stays in the lane, or on the road, or that punch-in-the-gut feeling when a car pulls up behind you and wants to drive faster than the posted speed limit. That's where the magnet really shines.

I don't know if the drivers behind us see the magnet (even though, it's hard to ignore...), or if they even think the person driving is an actual student driver. For me, it doesn't really matter what they think. I'm glad they have a heads up that the driver lacks experience and needs to be out there on the road to get it. I mean, we bought the magnet for others, but I'm finding, it's giving me a lot of comfort, too.