Search Results for: blog a teens first driving experience

Teens and Driving

Today my daughter starts driver’s education. After already going through this, you would think it’s not that big of a deal. But this time is a little different. With my older son, he didn’t really want to learn how to drive. He was the type of kid who needed to be pushed into responsibility (although, the Air Force seems to have cured him of that). I had to make him get a job, something else he didn’t want to do. Once he did have his license, getting him to drive was like pulling teeth. If he could get out of … Continue reading →

Risky Teen Driving Behaviors

Next month my daughter signs up for driver’s education. Although she isn’t my first child to learn how to drive, she is the only one enthusiastic about it. My oldest son just never really enjoyed driving and would avoid it at all costs. It’s likely that this time around as the parent of a teen driver, there will be greater worries. But I’m not the only one concerned about the safety of teens behind the wheel. The AAA is sponsoring “National Teen Driver Safety Week,” which runs from October 14 through October 20. The focus is on creating stronger graduated … Continue reading →

Encourage Teens to Pursue a Career They Are Passionate About

(My son in his Civil Air Patrol uniform) As I am writing this, my 17-year-old son has just left for his first official day of work. After eight months of looking, he finally landed a job. Of course it was with the help of my husband, who is the manager at a store that belongs to a large grocery chain in our city. He put in the word and my son was hired. Yes, it helps to know someone. My husband waited this long to play the card because he was worried that our son would end up like him. … Continue reading →

A Teen’s First Driving Experience

Well this past weekend we had it planned that my son would drive for the first time to his cousin’s house. However we weren’t feeling very comfortable about the idea. They live about 20 minutes away and the only way he knows how to get there is by expressway, so we were feeling a bit apprehensive. Well we happened to have dinner plans Friday night with friends of ours who have a son in college. We asked them how they handled their son driving and I thought they had a great plan. They allowed their son to drive to work … Continue reading →

The Blessing and Woes of Teens

My family and friends have been entering a new season. We now have teens that are of driving age, which opens up more opportunities for them to experience freedom. It is kind of a scary time. My 16-year-old son still has two more behind-the-wheel lessons and then he is scheduled to take his driving test at the end of January. He already has a car waiting for him, only because we got a great deal from a good friend. While at first I was looking at it as something that will be a convenience, lately I have been struggling to … Continue reading →

Create a Driving Contract for Your Teen with Type 1 Diabetes

“Mom, can I drive?” It’s one of those questions that gives me a momentary shudder. Maybe because I know my sixteen-year-old son doesn’t have a whole lot of driving experience, and I envision us driving off a cliff. Or maybe it’s because I’m just not emotionally ready for this particular rite of passage in my oldest child’s life. Either way, I’ve learned several techniques for disguising my white-knuckling and shallow breathing. We nervous mothers must appear calm and confident. “Mom, would you relax?” Yeah, right. Teens with juvenile diabetes must be especially cautious as drivers, because symptoms of hypoglycemia, which … Continue reading →

Teenage Driving–an Introduction

It dawned on me that in all the writing and mulling and contemplating I do here on Families.com about parenting teenagers, I haven’t really even begun to touch on the subject of teens and transportation. Particularly teens, cars and driving! I’m not sure if it was an accidental oversight on my part or a subconscious desire to forget that driving and teenagers are such a big deal. Well, the fact is, teens and driving are a big deal! My eldest daughter will be seventeen in a few weeks and she doesn’t have her driver’s license yet. She does have her … Continue reading →

Rich Kids

I’ve known many a child who has rolled up on the last day of school in a limousine. No, we don’t live in Beverly Hills, Manhattan, or in the swanky northern suburbs of Chicago. We actually reside in a semi-rural area of the Upper Midwest, yet seeing kids ride to school in limos on special occasions is not an unusual sight. Kids here might not have embraced the whole Silly Bandz trend, but the joy of cruising to class in a pimped out ride is not lost on country mice. Though, riding to summer camp in a helicopter, may be … Continue reading →

Do you let your kids drive with friends?

When I was a teenager in the 9th grade, a car full of neighbor kids were in a terrible accident. The group was going into The Bronx from Yonkers NY to treat the birthday girl to White Castle hamburgers. She had just turned 13 years old. She never made it home. A truck jackknifed in front to them, and several of them died instantly. Others were injured. Our community lost a 13 year old girl, a 15 year old boy (my classmate’s brother), and the 18 year old driver. An 18 year old passenger lost his arm (that he had … Continue reading →

Father’s Day Travel Ideas—Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Think about it; does your dear ol’ dad really need a new tie or yet another framed picture of you for Father’s Day? And those grill tongs you were considering gifting him with… are they really the way you want to honor him next month? If you are looking for a way to really wow your pop come June 15th how about putting your gift giving ideas in overdrive and letting him take a racecar out for a spin around an actual NASCAR oval. Driving schools are hotter than ever and for those who feel the need for speed it … Continue reading →