Monday, July 19, 2010

Teen Driver in the House

 

In the words of Ethan, "It's the end of the world as we know it, I feel fiiiiiiiine." Ha, I'm just kiddin'. Pretty soon I'll have another chauffeur in the house, what's not to like? In the great state of Ohio when a young person reaches the ripe age of 15.5, the youngster is bestowed a driver's permit. This means that for another 6 months, he can drive with his mom and dad right beside him. Thank you Buckeye State. 

I'm kidding again. This will be a good thing. It's just that he's had it for a grand total of 3 hours. The ironic thing is, that he read and studied for that permit test like it was the SAT. The kid won't study Latin but throw in a key chain and and a whiff of independence and suddenly he's a scholar. 

I won't write about the typically sentimental experience that I'm having, simultaneously along with thousands of other parents. Sure, he's the first born and I can still remember when he was afraid of Big Bird and when he would cry when I tried to sing him to sleep. Sure, its this crazy, exciting, longing for time to slow down. And, it's a little scary. He did kick it up to 45 mph and nearly drove us into the ditch. But, those are life experiences I want to cherish.

I would like to know, however, how to get through the next six months. Every time he hears the car keys jingling, like Pavlov's dog, he comes running. Someones driving somewhere? "I'll drive, Oh, please, oh, please, can I drive?" Now, how does one say no to enthusiasm like that? I mean really, if I'm just running errands around town, what's the big deal? Sure, my body will be releasing an abnormal amount of adrenaline on a simple trip to Walgreens, but, other than that, what's the big deal?  I shouldn't be so selfish. Errands that once took 15 minutes may now increase in time expnentially, but, hey, I'll learn to pack emergency snacks.

I suppose it's like anything in life, and the excitement will pass, much like the cars behind us who wish to drive at speeds greater than 35 mph. The experience will come and my adrenaline will regulate. I'll have to wait for Dylan to turn 15.5 to experience the excitement once again. And again. Again. And again.

2 comments:

Caytie said...

Are we that old already? actually we just started having our kids at 15....right?

christina said...

Ha! I don't feel any older in my mind. But, how is it that he can drive when he still has to be reminded to flush the toilet and wash his hands? In my mind he's 2 and I'm 22.