THEY BOTH HAVE ME COVERED!
Anyone learning to drive can give a new meaning to the word "stress." From rules to road signs, it's not exactly what you bargain for.
I remember taking on the responsibility of getting behind the wheel. Drivers Ed was by far the favorite class amongst teenagers. In my day, the simulator lab was the closest thing we had to playing video games. The teacher set us up behind a monitor and left us alone until our designated time was up.
But the most fun included three teenagers plus an instructor safety-belted into the seats of a Student Driver Vehicle. We thought we were so smart driving around a school parking lot full of cones. When it was our turn to get street-smart, everyone in town shared a clear and present danger. The Drivers Ed vehicles were marked from front to back with flashing lights and signs; black and yellow caution stripes let the world know we were on the road. It wasn't as cool as I thought it would be. I felt like George McFly with a "Kick Me" sign on my back!
I survived and eventually got my drivers license. It was a proud moment. But if you ask my mom about her side of the story, she would tell it a bit differently. I had never seen facial expressions like that before (or since.) Her right foot was constantly riding an artificial break on the passenger side and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
After teaching two of my own children how to drive, I can honestly say I know how she felt. Back then, there weren't near as many distractions for the student driver . . . cell phones, text messages, GPS's, and siblings, none of which were allowed in any of my learner's vehicle.
I, just like my mother, lived through it. Two of my children are now road savvy; my other two children are being peacefully chauffeured from here to there. This experience has contributed to the number of grey hairs on my head, but it's nothing Clairol won't cover.
How about you? Do you have an interesting story to tell or comment to make on this subject? Should there be a few rules added to the handbook for the parents? I'll give you a penny for your thoughts.
Posts
14 comments:
Ah... driver's ed. I remember it like it was a year ago. Being stuck in class for 3 hours at a time(it was a six day "crash" course) with the not-so-bright summer school kids, waiting 30 minutes in the blazing sun to get in a car and ride 5 miles an hour around the coned Englewood parking lot... good times. But it wasn't so bad. I came out knowing how to operate a car and I got an A- in the class. The best part though was being able to laugh at the stupid kids. For instance, when a girl was asked ," Ashley, what color is a stop sign?" she said ," Bl...red," (she WAS a blonde). A Kid attempting a 3-point-turn turned the car to the left, backed up and turned, then went forward...in the same direction. Apparently he had a mental lapse somewhere during the procedure. The coach even agreed these kids were dumb. He said to the ENTIRE CLASS ," Ya'll are stupid; the smartest kid in the class doesn't even go to school." Good times.
I havnt taken Drivers ed yet. I've only driven once ever, just to back up our truck like 5 feet back and then park it
well unfortunatly i havent yet expirenced drivers ED but i am doing a book thing for drivers ED, hah cant drive around on that, but i have had some expirences where there are some retards on the road with a "short fuse" that use colorful language and shoot birds at me :(.
Eat your hearts out: I got my learner's permit three months before I turned 16 and got my license on my 16th birthday. There was not a one-year waiting period back then, but there should have been. How I lived through my teenage years I'll never know. It wasn't that I was a poor driver. In fact, I remember being very cautious. But I made some poor choices about who I let drive me around. If my mother ever knew about the times my brother and I played Chinese firedrill or the time my date played chicken . . . It's only looking back on it that I realized that that who-cares attitude could lead to an early grave . . . which leads me back to driver's ed. "Rest in peace" to the imaginary simulator person crossing the street in the dark. I swear I didn't see him. I still hate driving at night. Should the driver's manual have special tips for parents? Yes. PRAY! What do Clairol, State Farm, and driving have in common? They can all cost an arm and a leg . . . literally.
Driver's Ed has to be the easiest class I have ever taken in my entire 16 and a half years of life. I took the class over the internet, and all I had to do was watch csome videos, take some quizzes that were easy if you have the common sense bone on your body, (which I hear some people don't have) and then write the longest discussion paper ever written about distractions in the car. Once I finished this course, which only took a few weeks, I obtained my learner's permit, on my birthday. (My mom has always hated driving, so she thought the sooner I got my license, the better. I agreed.)
Exactly one year after getting my learner's, I took the driving test to get my license. I passed with great ease, for I had had much practice. I drove everywhere that my mother wanted to go.
Now I have a license and a automobile, so I think I love Driver's Ed. THANKS!
My experience with driving was a bit tough at first, but once I got the hang of it, I began to relax more. I like driving, but it gets very stressful with my dad in the truck. So,I prefer being the passenger when he is around!LOL
I didn't pass my first exam. I thought I did just fine on the road test, but back then you had to prove that you could parallel park. That is where I failed. I had to park between the examinee and another vehicle. When backing up into position, I "hit" the examiner's parked car. Oh No! The misery of having to wait to do this drill all over again, was my punishment.
Drivers Ed was very dull. It didn't really tell me anything I didn't know. It was really easy and boring. It took me at least 2 months after Drivers Ed to get my permit. Mostly because I did not want to go and get it. My mom had to drag me down to thew DMV to have me take the test. I still have not driven, nor have any real "drive" to do so.
well, haven't taken driver's ed yet. i'm one of those lazy people. hahaha. but i do like food.
I havent had the chance to experience drivers ed yet. In fact I havent even gotten my permit. I turned 15 in august but I seem to be procrastinanting and I need to just sit down and do it one day. Who knows maybe I'll have it by my next birthday.
~Christy
I dont have anything to say but clairol and state farm are very useful.
I haven't taken driver's ed yet. But I did once drive a golf cart around at night in a neighborhood. I did pretty good, but I stopped 30 feet behind a stop sign ;).
Ah, learning how to drive--an experience I am going through right now. However, I decided not to take Driver's Ed; thus my parents are my only teachers. "That's nice," you may politely state. My response: It depends on who is teaching you at the moment!
Definitely, I prefer my dad. He actually knows how to drive from the passenger seat; gives me clear, reasonable instructions; and keeps an eye on other drivers along with me. When I ask questions, he willingly answers them except when I find myself in a difficult situation in which I need to be completely focused on the road. Plus, he lets me turn on the radio as long as I pay attention to the road first and foremost.
On the other hand, my mom...well I am thankful that she allows me to drive with her; BUT I wish she would not freak out. She watches other drivers a little too much and asks me not to ask questions for the sake of her nerves. For example, when I have to pull into the garage, I have to drive between the wall of the garage on my left and my dad's truck on the right. Despite the fact that my dad observed that I pull into the garage better than my mom, she cried the first time I did it with her, "Get out! Get out! You're gonna hit the wall!" It turned out that I was clearly no where near hitting the wall...Hopefully, she gets more use to me being behind the wheel! Yeah, she might need a few tips from a parent's handbook...
Two of mine are taking the exam for their learner's permit next week . . . MAYBE! ;-)
Post a Comment