I know every Mum laments the all-too quick passing of years, but seriously, last week in one sudden swoop my first born turned 16 and became a learner driver. These two milestones combined to prove a slap of reality for this Mum who, despite being cough …. shhhh mid 40s, furiously denies birthing a child now more than 5844 days old.
For goodness’ sake, having teen children is one thing but, having a driving child in the house adds an entirely new dimension to life indeed … and it’s been less than a week! There’s a long way to go yet – approximately one year and 96 on-road hours – but I keep chanting that if my parents managed to do it for me, then anything is possible.
Yesterday, after school was the first time we drove together, my big boy and I. This time though, our positions in the car were reversed and it seemed very odd indeed. I may eventually get used to it, guess I’ll have to as there is no way of unwinding the clock and recapturing some of the time that sped too quickly by.
It was backroads and side streets for this first ride, so my fingernails are still intact and the hair no greyer than it was that morning. Surprisingly I only flinched twice, swore once and did not feel the need to pray for my life at all. That’s good, isn’t it?
To be sure though, I have set some parameters and these are non-negotiable – no driving with the other kids in the car, I choose where we go and for how long PLUS 2 professional driving school lessons need to be had soon. Already he has decided that he doesn’t like sharing the road with trucks or tractors but he does think the Subaru is nice to drive. Of course now he’s had a taste of driving Mum’s car, I’m sure I can score a wash and polish using the promise of a spin as a teaser!
Just look at the pride on that face behind the wheel, not to mention the pride that was on the face behind the camera. Sigh ……. fancy me being the mum of a teen, a pre-schooler and also a driver. Who would have thought?
Have you encountered the learner-driving scenario yet? How did it go?
* This post was first published at www.familysurvivalcoach.com