One Step Closer to Becoming an Adult

Last Friday was a big day for my oldest son and for us, as his parents. M1 got his intermediate driver's license, which means he can legally drive alone. He can get in his car and drive somewhere...on his own. Yes, I know that you know what that means. I'm still trying to get used to the idea.

He's been waiting for this for years. We began letting him start the car when he was about 11 and then, back the car out of the driveway to park on the street when he was 14, always supervised. We've always talked about the rules of the road while driving, explaining why we do certain things, pointing out what other drivers are doing wrong. {wink} M1 was always paying attention, soaking it all up like a sponge. When it was time to get his learner's permit, he read the whole manual in two days and passed the test with flying colors. And in the past seven months, he has read Crash-Proof Your Kids (actually written for parents), taken a four-hour state required course, watched the Rules of the Road, and has been racking up over 60 hours of driving practice time, mostly with Dad. And responded correctly to his mother's paranoid pop quizzes.

We feel that he has demonstrated good driving skills, but he's not out from under our wings yet. He knows that we still want to have supervised driving time with him and that he will have restrictions on where and when he can go out alone. We also printed off a parent/child agreement that sets up guidelines and expectations.

Papa Bear bought him a car last spring and he's been working on it, putting all of his money into it. M1 is so proud of it and himself. He has learned how to locate problems, research and order parts online, install the parts, change the oil, and understand how a car works, with some help, but mostly on his own. M1 got to experience his first solo outing yesterday when he drove to Auto Zone to buy a part for his car. I can imagine his excitement, that feeling of freedom that comes with being able to drive yourself where you want to go. My own feelings were more of the "butterflies in my stomach" variety, with a smidgen of nausea, as I watched him pull out of the driveway and drive down our street, disappearing around the corner. He texted when he got there and again to let me know he was going to the store next door to Auto Zone. And when he got home, he walked in the door a little taller.

Now that he can drive by himself, he's ready for the next big step...a job.