My oldest daughter Makenna, just got her license a few weeks ago. We are so happy to have another driver about. Although, I must admit being in the driver seat with a new driver is not my cup of tea. I am getting a little better at it compared to my oldest learning. But, I am just not there yet. It is a control issue for me and fear of trusting someone else who has little real life experience operating a motor vehicle. It is not that I don't love them, or trust them personally, or think that they might not be a safe driver. It is just hard to explain unless you are the person in that position. Then to top that off, as the parent, I am also ultimately liable for anything the new student driver does while under my care. I am hoping by the time we teach our eighth child to drive my stress level will not go up, and I will be able to have a greater faith in God's work, even in driving.
One of the things as mean, strict, er...cautious parents that we do, is not allow our children to get their permits until they are 16. In our state permits are allowed at 15. However, if you get a permit at 15 you must pay for 6 private instruction hours, which is around $500 or more. The greater benefit we see is that at 16 our children have even more knowledge and maturity. This would mean they would not get their actual license until at least their 17th birthday, as they keep the permit for a year. For both of our licensed children it was actually a few months after their 17th birthdays, mainly because getting those night hours in for the test, was a challenge for our family. Where we live there is often icy roads in winter darker months and then in the summer months it is later at night when it is dark. We are also a family that happens to be putting our little ones down for bed close to 8:30, so it made it a challenge.
Makenna is a very cautious and safe driver. And the first day she drove off on her own I didn't feel a panic like I imagined I would. She is responsible by calling us when she gets to her destination and before she comes home. Which I am very thankful for.
Here she is with her new little car, a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am that we got a good deal on. Aren't they both so cute?
