License to drive
The Good: They turn 16 and become even more self-sufficient.
The Bad: That means driving.
My wife and I have had several debates over what are appropriate driving rules for our kids, and I have yet to have met a parent who hasn’t wriggled with how much responsibility to allow their teen.
Well, here’s our rules. I’d love to hear yours.
* For the first three months, no radio and no passengers. (And we encourage our kids not to ride with anyone who hasn’t had their license for six months, although realistically they pull this one off and we really wouldn’t know.)
* Turn off the cellphone. (This beats the “don’t-answer” rule, because it’s too tempting to peek at caller ID when the phone is ringing.)
* When you go somewhere other than to school and back, call us after you get there. (I suggested a surreptitious Lojack system, but was overruled.)
* For the first six months, be home by 11. And in most cases, it’s still no driving after midnight.
But all the rules are only a portion of how we prepared our girls to drive. We rode with them often, and still do. We talk about decisions we make when we're driving, such as changing lanes, or whether to gun it or hit the brakes at that yellow light.
And, yeah, we still worry when they go out. And probably always will.
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