It was on this day last week that Little Chirp drove for the first time. We went to the DMV to get his learner’s permit on his fifteenth birthday. He then headed to his dad’s house for a birthday celebration. The next day, I started my workday at 4 AM, so that I could take off at 3 in the afternoon to go driving with Little Chirp.
I handed him the key to my Subaru Outback, as we walked to the garage together. The key hand-off was a right of passage gesture as it is a remote controlled key that one does not actually put into the ignition in order to start the car. Little Chirp paused as we stepped into the garage, and I went for the passenger’s seat.
“I am going to back out of the garage?” he asked with a look of concern.
“Yes, that is part of driving,” I said matter of factly.
We buckled up, and then he learned that he has to put his foot on the brake in order for the start button to turn the ignition on. He then put the car in the reverse and took his foot off the break, which taught him that the car will move without him pressing the gas peddle. He then proceeded to back out of the driveway as if he had done so his entire life. There was absolutely nothing to correct. That made the next ten minutes that it took him to figure out how to turn the wheel and proceed in a forward direction down the driveway outright hysterical. I was good driving instructor and did not actually laugh.
We drove from our house to the church parking lot in our neighborhood, and we practiced driving in figure eights, turning with a turn signal, and parking and backing out of a parking space over and over. He did a great job on his first drive. I went to sleep that evening in awe of the fact that my youngest child is old enough to begin learning to drive a car.
On Saturday, we headed out early in the morning for a full hour of driving before traffic got heavy. We cruised about the country roads north of us. The one thing that he needs to work on, is to not hug the shoulder of the road. He first disputed my correction that he needed to drive more near the center of the road, then he came to understand that the car has a sensor that tells you when you are too far on the shoulder. The sensor kept going off. I have to say that teaching a kid to drive is easier today than it was when I was a child.
He did so well that I let him get onto the freeway on the way back. He pulled into Black Walnut for breakfast like a champ.
While we waited for our breakfast, I said in my motherly voice that annoys him to no end, “Okay, I am going to tell you what you did well while driving and what you need to work on.”
To my surprise, he set down his drink and gave me his full, undivided attention. He was more than receptive to my feedback. Of course, this made me a happy driving instructor and a happy mother.
Our food arrived shortly after, and he proceeded to devour his crispy chicken sandwich and potato salad. I guess that learning to drive makes a fifteen year-old hungry.
The following day, he accompanied me on a quick trip to the grocery store just so he could drive the car. Any mother of a teenager will tell you that there is nothing better than when the teenager wants to spend time with you. This is an exciting time in Little Chirp’s life, and I am excited to be his co-pilot.