Well, it’s here. That time in every parent’s life that we dread, that one evitable season where we live on faith and with one eye closed…yep, you guessed it…The Learner’s Permit. I’m thinking that there needs to be an accessory added to every car when a kid hits 15 that allows a parent to grab the wheel and slam on the brakes and avert sure disaster. I mean, have you tried to leap the center mount of a SUV while said car is sliding into a ditch? People can get hurt, and I’m talking BEFORE the impact with the guardrail.
Yeah, my oldest son is driving, and it’s made for some interesting personal discoveries. Like the fact that yes, although my husband has been insinuating this for years, I am indeed a control freak. I’m also narrow minded (But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the INTENT behind the rule that the driver gets to choose the music, is really, MOM gets to choose the music.) And, yes, okay, I’m a bit of a hypocrite. Because driving above the speed limit is not an option. (I don’t care what my son thinks he’s seen from the passenger seat over the years!)
The truth is, I’m not necessarily liking this side of me…The Passenger side.
I don’t know when it happened, but suddenly I woke up and discovered I’d become a sort of passenger in my children’s lives. I’m seeing them take control, do their own driving. It’s not easy handing over those keys, I have to admit.
Moreover, they’re onto the ploys I’ve used over the years, my telling them there is only one direction to travel, and how fast they should get there. Like with clothing choices, and dating choices. And spiritual journeys.
So, I’ve come up with a new strategy to help them as they take control of the wheel. Here it is, Susie’s I-hope-it-works Secret to Staying on the Road…