It has been quite a while since I have stopped by for a visit. School has been in session, which means I have been back to work in the classroom. That keeps me pretty busy, but I also have a teenage son who turned 16 in June, and obtained his drivers license in October. That will keep you busy as well.
GJ has never been a pushy kid, he just takes life as it comes and is pretty "matter of fact" about everything in general. There is very little "drama" connected to this young man, which I thank God for because at my age I couldn't deal with it.
The day my son got his driver's license was full of surprises. Not the kind you would expect, it was more about how the day began, the emotions, anticipation and pure celebratory joy due to the outcome. All of these things, came as a complete surprise to me.
GJ and I started this adventure together, the "driving experience". It was exciting, scary, and stressful at times, and not something that a person on blood pressure medication should have taken so lightly. However, not unlike many of the "firsts" that he and I have shared, we simply took it one step at a time and methodically began the process. We laughed, sat in silence, endured one an other's impatience ( mine) and we learned the rules of the road together. He actually did very well and is quite a cautious driver.
Our town has grown and the traffic can be heavy and congested. It can also be filled with crazy drivers and three lane traffic that can seem almost claustrophobic. It was for this reason that I decided that GJ and I would travel a few miles out of town to a sleepy little town known as Taft, to work on his driving skills. Even though the pace of life is slow the driving situations that arose were perfect for a new driver..the bizarre.
The first day in town we experience an ambulance quickly approaching with sirens blaring..no one moves to the side of the road except my son. We are driving in town , ( there is only Main Street and 3 side roads) and out between 2 parked cars flies a skateboard and following the board a young man. No problem, GJ was watching the entire perimeter, driving defensively and slower than the 25 miles posted and stopped for the young man ( stupid kid).
Our favorite part of this experience and this little town was the discovery of a 50's Diner named Ollies. After driving around town we would stop and eat and then drive the 25 minutes back home. On the day of his driver's test, we went to Taft and GJ pulled into the parking lot. We had gone over everything that could possibly be required and we were confident, ( I was a nervous wreck).
His name was called, he brought the car around with me in the car and then the tester took over and I was banished. Fifteen minutes later my son rounds the corner of the building on foot with a huge grin on his face and we celebrated at Ollies. What a milestone. I adore this kid.
He completed his freshman year of high school with a GPA of 3.5 and this year is carrying a GPA of 3.85 all College Prep and a "0" period class to boot. Sooo......he got his first car a 2001 Mustang Convertible and he is walking on air ( unless he is driving the car!).
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