When we go somewhere as a family, my hubby drives the car and the kids and I get to relax.  I really don’t like driving, especially in S. Florida, so being a passenger is usually always okay with me.  Until it wasn’t….  My oldest got his learner’s permit at 15, which was mind boggling.  In a previous life, I worked auto claims, which makes me a nervous rider.  Couple that with my child driving me around and it was a recipe for an ulcer.

We agreed early on that hubby would teach the boys to drive and I would watch from afar.  Frankly, I don’t have the nerves or the stomach for it and they need a calm teacher.  A nervous teacher would do nothing, but make them anxious.  I decided one night to let him try driving my car.  It was a short distance, less than .5 mile, from just inside our gate to our house, so I thought I could handle it.  I was wrong.

Jake did great, but I was a wreck.  When we got to the road where he needed to make a right turn, I instructed him to slow down causing him to get a bit frazzled.  Consequently, he hit the gas instead of the brake causing a panic.  He asked frantically what he should do and my eloquent response was “hit the other pedal!”  He hit the brake and made the turn safely and the subsequent turns safely getting us home in one piece albeit with frayed nerves.

Flash forward to March of 2016, Jake had his license for over 6 months and hubby was out of town with Goalielocks for hockey.  I was sick and had been horribly sick for several days.  I couldn’t keep any fluid or food down and knew that the only way to stop it would be to get some IV fluids.  The only way for me to get to the ER was Jake.  Jake drove me to the ER and he did a great job.

After several hours of IV fluids, they released me from the ER and Jake picked me up.  He drove us to Target to fill my prescription and pick up Gingerale and saltine crackers.  This time I was feeling better, but I was still comfortable with his driving.  The Mayor meanwhile felt compelled to criticize every move Jacob made on the road, he was relentless.  Now almost two years after he got his license, I’m perfectly comfortable being a passenger in his car.

Now when he drives, it’s all about the music.