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Is Your Teen Driving You to Distraction?

Yes, it's true. They can (quite literally...) drive you to distraction. Teenagers and driving. Well, for that matter, teenagers and just about anything. For today's purposes, however, we'll stick to driving with your teen. If you've not yet been lucky enough to enjoy this coveted experience, you're in for a treat, lemme' tell ya'. Why not benefit from the last nine months of my misery?! Here I will offer some tips for teaching your teen to drive.

Cautionary note: This is not the time to file your nails, read a magazine or catch up all of that mail that's been piling up. You must be at your best, parents! At your most alert and astute. You are your teen's eyes and ears until she or he is as adept of a driver as you are. Or if you are lacking in this department, an even better one.

One other thought. If you are fortunate enough to be married to the other parent of your soon-to-be-teen-driver, take a moment to ponder these questions.

• Are you the better of the two of you to take on this job?
• Are you the patient one, or do you tend to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation?
• How's your blood pressure / stress level?
• Does your teen take constructive criticism better from you or your spouse?

These truly are points to ponder when determining who should do the majority of this lovely task.

On the other hand, if you're a parent who's thinking, "This is the perfect bonding opportunity for my husband with his son/daughter," by all means, give it a go. You can always switch later if your child wrecks the family car, and your husband winds up in a neck brace. What do you have to lose, right?!

In all sincerity, what follows are some tips to get you started. Today's tips will be for before you ever get your teen out on the road. Tomorrow's will be for actually driving.

Tips to Getting Started:

• Start out by having your teen take the responsibility to find out what it takes to get the Learner's Permit. This little step will give you an indication of how invested your child is in the whole process. Unless you have concerns that your teen has absolutely no interest in learning how to drive (rarely the case in my experience), this is a great way to slow them down a little until you can wrap your brain around the fact that the baby you carried home from the hospital - yes. the same one who used to put grapes up his nose to see if they would turn into raisins - this child is now of a legal age to operate a moving vehicle at high speeds under your direction.
• Have your teen do the research on what documentation is required to obtain the permit.
• Require your teen to get the permit before you ever let them behind the wheel. This is a no brainer. Your insurance will not cover your child without this, so don't risk more than you have to. This also requires the child to do a little "book learning" prior to getting on the road, which is also good. It would be an excellent idea for you to review the 15-25 page handbook at this time, as well. Again, what harm could it do?
• Have your teen find out what the hours are for taking the Learner's Permit test, if required in your state.
• Put the burden on your teen to ask you to take her for that test, and make sure that she has had adequate time to prepare, so you do not waste a trip.

Once your teen has the Learner's Permit, your life is going to change, and it won't exactly be magical for a while. But trust me. It gets better. Next time, we'll discuss tips for actually teaching them to drive. For now, just get to work on that permit. But remember, the burden is on your teen to make the first move. You let them do the legwork. It should hurt a little. After all, anything worth having is worth a little effort, right?

For more, check out my next post, Driving Lessons: Part Two.