Today, my oldest son, Denver celebrates his 16th birthday. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday he driving his “little tikes” car around our yard; now, he will be driving his F-150 on the road.
As a birthday present, we’re giving Denver his Dad’s 2006 truck; friends and family gave him (much appreciated) gas money. Denver is proving to be a good driver, but that isn’t stopping my husband from wanting to put a bumper sticker on the back of the truck that reads: “How’s my driving? Call Dad at __________ and let him know!”
Although Denver loves the idea of having the freedom to drive, we love the idea of him getting a job! I’m also delighted to have another person in the house who can run to the store for milk. That said, I’m still worried about the phrases we’re bound to hear in the coming months, ones that author Melinda Rainey Thompson summarized best in her book, I’ve Had It Up to Here with Teenagers, after teaching her children how to drive:
“That dent was already there!”
“I’m not too close.”
“That car needs to stay out of my lane.”
“I did come to a complete stop.”
“This is harder than it looks.”
“Wow. That was close!”
“Merging is hard.”
“I forgot about crosswalks.”
“You don’t have to yell at me!”
“Sorry. Is that expensive to fix?”
“I’m not speeding! I’m going exactly the speed limit.”
“I’m never going to parallel-park, so I don’t need to practice that.”
“I drove well this time; didn’t I, Mom? You didn’t throw up once!”
“I’m not too close.”
“That car needs to stay out of my lane.”
“I did come to a complete stop.”
“This is harder than it looks.”
“Wow. That was close!”
“Merging is hard.”
“I forgot about crosswalks.”
“You don’t have to yell at me!”
“Sorry. Is that expensive to fix?”
“I’m not speeding! I’m going exactly the speed limit.”
“I’m never going to parallel-park, so I don’t need to practice that.”
“I drove well this time; didn’t I, Mom? You didn’t throw up once!”
Happy Monday (and Happy Birthday to my Baby),
Mary
Photo credit: Faxo.com
