When 35mph Might as well be Mach 5

Your teenage daughter must be driving the car.

It's amazing to me that slow speeds feel like your flying when an inexperienced driver is behind the wheel. You may have seen the commercial for an insurance company where a dad is talking to his daughter as she gets ready to drive away in the car, and she looks like she is 5, until she starts to drive away.

That really happens.  You look at this child behind the wheel and think of them as a little one, and not a big one capable of doing more.

So, this is how the conversation in the car sounds when she is driving and I am the passenger:

"Turn sharper."

"Don't back up so far, you're going to hit the mailbox behind you."

"Go faster, the people behind you are going to get mad."

"Slow down, you're taking the corner too fast."

"You're not on the road, you can't drive in the grass or on the line."

"You need to stay in your lane.  That's what the lines are for."  "Where?"  Haha!

"Slow down.  Now.  Slow Down.  Stop...STOP.....STOP!"


That last one is my favorite.  I say it while gritting my teeth, and holding tight to the side arm of the car door.

Neurotic much?  YES!

I knew it was going to be hard for me to let her drive, or to let any of them drive for that matter.

She will eventually get the hang of it, won't she?  I will eventually relax a bit, won't I?

I'm guessing the first questions answer is yes, and second is probably, not as long as they are behind the wheel.  There are too many scary drivers out there.

Take a deep breath.  It's time to let go, even if it's just a little.