As you may know, Cassie is learning to drive, and I have been the one teaching her so far. She’s a quick study, with a bit of a lead foot sometimes.
To ride with someone who is learning, to know years more than they do, to have experience galore compared to their none, tends to make one take shallow breaths until the key is turned off.
I find myself trying help her avoid rookie mistakes by anticipating her responses, her tendencies. To keep my instructions full but brief, to keep alert yet calm, takes a lot out of me. See, I don’t know all of which she is capable. I don’t know all of her reactions ahead of time. I’m not in her head. One false move and we could die, maybe taking others with us. (Wish we had that “L”, Iain.)
Yet, I have a sort of confidence that I know her enough, and I know me enough, and I know human behavior enough to keep the car where it belongs, when it belongs there, even with my daughter driving. However, anything could happen. Sobering thought.
God, on the other hand, is inside my head, he does know how I’ll react, and one false move, well, is there such a thing?
I take great comfort in the knowledge that my Teacher knows his business and knows me much better than I do. He’ll keep me where I need to be, all the time. I don’t have to worry.
But I do have to do some driving.
9 comments:
The only disadvantage in teaching a member of your family to drive is that even after they have passed their driving test and no longer 'need' you, it is very hard to stop driving for them. I am not a good passenger at the best of times but I found it very hard at first letting go and totally trusting those whom I had helped to learn.
All the more wonderful that god entrusts us with so much freedom and personal responsibility in the living of our own lives.
I know what you mean about the residual 'teaching' instincts. Why, just the other day, while out driving with my husband, whom I did NOT teach to drive, I tapped the stick shift to remind him to shift, as I've been doing for Cassie (who goes by her middle name on her blog, Carolina). He gave me a look - and I shall not make THAT mistake twice.
God really is very good to us, isn't he!
Is there such a thing as a false move?
Wonderful question, Cherie.
As a not-good passenger who still tries not to drive for my grown daughter, I hear all this!
And you're doing it with a manual transmission car. Amazing. :-)
Thanks, Deanna!
Cassie had her first encounter with a log truck yesterday, while merging onto the freeway. She did GREAT. "It was so BIG, Mama!"
Me, I'm getting out my yoga books - s t a y ....c a l m.
:-D
We tense, we worry, we love. And in the end they go off on their own and we let them go. Um, right?
:-)
Well, I can at least tell you the good news that having lived through the worst-nightmare scenerio I wrote about recently, I don't worry MORE than I used to, which surprised me. My tendency would be to latch on to that experience, clutch it tightly, and say, "See? See?? See what happened?? They NEED me to worry!!" But God is good and indeed, He is in my head too, and he gently reminds me (Whack! Baa!) that the worrying won't help and, in fact, didn't help that night. And I'm still 5'2"-ish, which proves it hasn't added a single cubit to my height either!
Hang in there!
I almost put Whack Baa in the St. Augustine post for you....and me.
Major Whackage.....major baage. Ha!
I wonder, do cubits added to my width count??
Nah, probably not.......
Hanging! I'll try to NOT picture your van when coming upon logging trucks and whatnot out on the open road!
Thanks, Pammie!
I am NOT looking forward to this!! Z turns 15 this summer, and be eligible to apply for a learner's permit.
I have the feeling that driving with an ADD, OCD, "twitchy" Tourette's kid will be quite the experience.
You are brave to be her teacher. I tried a little with my boys, not easy; I gave up.
tshsmom: You should keep notes on your experiences....then write a book!
Sandy: Brave, or crazy. No, she's easy to teach. I tried with my boys, too, and quickly enrolled them into driver's education to let someone else teach them. I guess boys don't like 'Mom' teaching them this. Go figure! Someday they'll have wives telling 'em how to drive! Ha!
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