Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Another Driver in the Family

I almost can't believe it, but my baby girl is a licensed driver now!! When it was time for her to get her learner's permit I started getting nervous. My older daughter didn't start driving until she was 20 so having a 16-year-old behind the wheel was a daunting prospect for me. First of all, I'm not the world's most patient person. Unless someone is in labor, I have issues with patience sometimes. (Okay often) Also, her dad makes me look like Mother Teresa in the patience department so the thought of him yelling at her while she was dealing with a huge vehicle sort of put my nerves on edge.

Thank heavens for Barber's Driving School!! My little sister and my older daughter both went through the program there and they both are great drivers. In addition to our patience issues, we were really concerned about the new laws concerning teens getting licensed. We weren't sure that we would be able to comply with all the regulations in order to make her legal. Letting someone else who knows all about it handle all the details was SO much easier. In addition to her getting a great education, her dad is really appreciating the discount he's going to get on his insurance!

When we started this process last February, my daughter and I were both hesitant about her driving. Since she took the class and did her behind the wheel training though, I have been very pleased with how well she has handled driving in all conditions (night, rain, traffic, daylight) and her confidence level has reached an all time high. I could not be more pleased with our experience with Barber's.

Today she took her road test (at Barber's) and passed with no problems. There were a couple of things the evaluator wanted me to watch out with her which we discussed together. After she was done, we took the paperwork to the DMV and filled out one form while we waited for them to take her picture for her new license. The process was painless (except for the tugs on my heartstrings!) and over in less than half an hour.

When we got home, I took the house key off the clip and told her that her brother and I were going to go into the house but that I wanted her to drive around the block....alone. She practically squealed with delight at the thought of finally realizing this dream. So she drove off by herself...my pookie...and she drove around the neighborhood. Twice.