This has been a big week!
My youngest got his driver’s license…after a long, drawn out process.
About three years ago, he took a driver’s ed course through the Florida Virtual School. But he didn’t get his permit until last fall. Over the past several months, he has been helping my daughter with the driving, taking my dad to dialysis, and other errands.
Near the end of December, he felt ready to attempt the driving test, so he could get his license. My dad went with him, to the nearest location. But because it was in a different county from the one in which we reside, they didn’t let him take the test there. So they had to make an appointment in our county, which ended up being about a month out.
First time they went to our county location, he couldn’t complete the test, because the vehicle he was using for it didn’t have a functioning horn! So, my son and my dad took the van to the mechanic, and he put in a horn.
Two or three weeks later, they went back for another attempt. This time, he actually was able to take the driving test. He didn’t pass…because the speed limit in front of the building is set at 5 mph, but the sign was facing away from him, so he couldn’t see the speed limit. He was going about 10-15 mph. There was something else he didn’t do correctly, too, I think he said.
So, 2-3 weeks later, they were back again for another attempt. This time, he said he messed up on the three-point turn. I guess that’s basically doing a U-Turn.
Attempt number 3 this week. And he came home with his driver’s license!
The next day, he was going to drive himself to work, but when he went to start the vehicle he was going to use, it wouldn’t start. He and my dad went and got a new battery for it the next morning, and that afternoon was his first solo drive to work.
So, mamas, am I supposed to feel relief? Or anxiety over his safety while he’s driving?
For now, he is to text me when he gets to work, then again when he’s heading home from work. After all, he’s driving home after dark. And if he comes the back way, he’s driving through a stretch of state forest: no houses, little traffic, and the possibility of deer on the road.
Congratulations on this milestone! I see your dilemma of relief vs. anxiety and have felt that in many areas of motherhood too. Maybe focus on the relief? I have to remind myself often that my children are ultimately in God’s loving hands whether they are in my sight or not.