The Driving Lesson
In Saskatchewan a lot of kids learn to drive before turning 16 especially if they live on a farm. I did not live on a farm and I did not learn to drive before I was old enough to take driver's ed. Driver's ed was part of the school curriculum but you only got about 3 hours of actual driving time and the rest was spent in a classroom pretending to watch the movies.
One day my dad decided to take me out for a lesson. I was the third kid he would be teaching and apparently it went fine with the other two. Well, we start off and he starts in immediately pointing out stop signs a block before and in general just yammering away nonstop, stressing me out and driving me crazy. We then got down to some serious back and forth bickering.
I get to a main intersection in town with actual lights and I'm trying to turn left with my father squawking away. I get to the middle of the intersection and being a 16 year old girl decide to throw a temper tantrum right then and there. I slam on the brakes, and without thinking, hop out of the car! My father's yelling, "Get in, get in. What are you're doing?" I yell back, "No, I'm walking home!"
My poor father had to get out of the passenger side run around the car and hop back in and finally unblock the traffic jam I created.
I stomped off towards home furious, perfectly self-assured in my rightness of the situation. A block away from home my stomp turned into a slow shuffle as I started to realize, "Oh, man. I'm dead!"
When I finally worked up the courage to actually enter the house my mom simply said, "Dear, your father is just far too old for this."
Later that night when my father arrived home from work he said all afternoon people were coming into the store for no reason other than to ask him, "Hey Mac, how was the driving lesson?" Luckily, by then he thought the entire incident rather hilarious and decided to spare my life.
epilogue: I was the only one of us kids to pass the test the first time around. I lucked out in getting an examiner going on his coffee break as soon as my test was done. We went around the block and I didn't even have to parallel park. He asked me if my parents were going to let me drive the car. I said, "Not a chance." Right answer, I passed!
That weekend when it came time for my flute lesson in Regina my mom said she was through driving me and gave me the keys to the car. That summer I went to BC to a music camp with another 16 year old and a 22 year old. The 22 year old was driving but when we hit the mountains she was too scared so I did all the driving. Hey, I was 16 and didn't know enough to be scared!
How did your driving lessons turn out?
13 comments:
Hahaha, nowt like a family member teaching someone to drive to cuase an argument; it happens everytime :]
My first teacher was rubbish and I failed the test... I gave it a break for a while then had lessons with another teacher and passed my test... YAY! I was 19 at the time and kept it a secret from all my friends, so they were well shocked to see me pull up in a car ;)
That must have been a grand moment surprising your friends with you behind the wheel of a car! Have you finished your stint working in the pub?
My brother taught me how to drive, although he only had his license for 2 years at that point, and I am soooo grateful that I didn't have lessons from my dad. Many is the time my brother (who HAD been taught by my dad) got out and walked home. My dad had a horrible temper.
But all turned out well for me, as I learned to drive on a standard transmission so can now drive pretty much anything (except for the fact that I can no longer see).
The very first time I was ever in a car was when I was 15, and my mom let me drive through the back roads. I was so nervous/giddy that when a policeman passed us I freaked out and got out of the car (stopping in the middle of the street mind you) and made my mom take over.
I then waited to get my llicense, had to save the money for Drivers Ed, and got my G1 at 17, then my full G two years later.
Scariest driving experience, driving down the HWY 1 in California, through the mountains. But I think that made me a better driver. So far to good :)
It turned out well, I guess.
I had to take about 12 hours of driving lessons, in a car, not watching movies. And I had 2 instructors, an old lady, but she freaked me out : I parallel parked and she told me that my parents might love me... WHAT?!? where's the link? The other one was really nice, he was 5 years older than me and we listened to cool cds during the lessons. But when my parents taught me how to drive their car (manual transmission) I did not like it, my Mom was scare all the time, so when I got my licence, she gave me the keys and told me to take the car to go to school, she thought that learning by yourself is the best way to learn...
Good god, that reminded me of my Saturday morning driving lessons with my father, who had an incredibly bad temper and a complete inability to communicate things correctly (at least that's what my mother and I have agreed on). I used to get sweats and the runs before our little excursions.
My worst driving experience came the first time I drove down to visit my parents in their then-new home in Tennesse. I left after a day of work (teaching) and had had only about five hours of sleep since I had worked my waitering job the night before. At the end of an 11 or 12 hour drive, the last ten miles were winding mountain roads in Eastern Tennessee-- no shoulder, and cliffs everywhere. It was not fun.
My father later figured out a much better route that was all interstates and state and county highways. However, on my Christmas trip a couple of weeks ago, I missed a turn-off, and ended up repeating the old route. Fortunately, my twelve-year-old son has unnaturally good navigation skills-- always has since he was a baby-- and got us there.
Barbara, I'm surprised your brother and dad ever tried it a second time. After the fiasco with my dad my mom took over. Have your new glasses arrived yet?
Allison, I too would have stopped the car in panic not worrying about pulling off to the side of the road first. Funny how the police can make you freak out.
Evelyn, I laughed when I read about the old lady instructor telling you your parents might love you! I take it she didn't like how you parallel parked.
Johnny I totally understand the scenario of your father not being able to communicate anything worthwhile! What is it with fathers and driving lessons? I once got lost on the way to university. How I don't know because I had taken the trip many a time before but I just remember ending up on a narrow windy dirt road and worrying about running out of gas. At least where I was it was flat so I didn't have to worry about catapulting over a cliff into some abyss.
If you think it is difficult learning to drive from a parent try learning to drive from a partner. Now, don't get me wrong, we are both patient understanding people but it is not something I would want to do again. I learned to drive at 28. I was 8 months and three weeks pregnant with my second child when I took the test, hence, the disaster that was my partner teaching me to drive. I was emotional, he was sleep deprived because he worked shift work, and my oldest son bounced in the back seat constantly. It took me two times to get my liscence. I am sure that I did not get it the first time because it was difficult for me to look behind myself fully to back up because I was so pregnant.
The "FINE I am walking" thing only happened to me once. A little dramatic, yes, but sometimes it just needs to be done!
I grew up on a farm and regularly drove a stick shift tractor (big old orange Case). I took my test as soon as I turned 16. Failed. During the driving test, the instructor had me pull off a street into a driveway. He then told me to back out to the left so I would be going right. I didn't totally understand him. So rather than have him explain it better, I guessed. I backed out and was facing the wrong way on the street(at least in the instructor's opinion). I cried when I got home. I also had to wait 90 days before I could take the test again. Passed the second time. For the next 5 years I got to drive the best cars ever made. My dad sold chevys and I got to drive just about every model made at one time or another(most overpowered and lacking the basic safety features). So much fun. I still love driving.
Actually Toccata the lesson during which the old lady told me that my parents might love me, we did a lot of parallel parks and it went really well. I had the same reaction as yours when she told me that : "she hates the way I drive" but she explained be that if your parents love you, then it is easier to drive... I never understood why she told me that!
Slaygirl, I cannot imagine learning to drive with a partner, pregnant and a kid in the backseat no less. Yikes! That is just a disaster waiting to happen. L0L
Busterp, that must have been a teenagers dream being able to drive all those different chevys. I used to get to drive the lumber yard truck the half ton not the two ton and I used to love driving that thing. I don't know why. It was a work truck and all battered and bashed but it was so much fun.
Evelyne! That is so weird. I don't get the connection either. You were smart to change instructors, she sounds like she was a little wacky.
My driving instructor was a highschool football coach. He was too busy diagramming football plays on his clipboard to actually teach. "Where are we going today?" I'd ask. His reply: "Anywhere, just drive. As long as we're back here within an hour."
A warm Canadian welcome to you jr's thumbprints! That's pretty funny about the highschool football coach being your kind of driving instructor. At least he was in the car! Reading these posts one wonders there aren't more accidents!
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