Driving

A Rite of Passage

I know exactly where I was at 9:00 on the morning of January 29, 1961, the day I turned 16.

I was parked in front of the motor vehicle department in our small town waiting for it to open so I could take my driving test. As I recall it comprised a written test about rules of the road, signs, and driving etiquette, and a behind-the-wheel test.

I couldn’t wait. Like most of my friends, I had waited for this day since I was big enough to reach the pedals. It was a rite of passage for us kids — a sign that we were becoming adults. Boys especially cherished the license. There was a lot of peer pressure, too, when our older friends got their licenses.

The first car I drove was a 1952 Dodge with a hydro-something or other transmission that would shift automatically if you got to a certain speed and let off the gas for a moment. It also had a clutch that allowed the driver to shift it manually. So, it was relatively easy to drive. (This was years before automatic transmissions became the norm.)

Though I wasn’t old enough to get a license or even a learner's permit, my dad would often let me drive on rural roads. I loved to drive and could hardly wait until I was old enough to get my driver’s license.

Why am I thinking about this now, 61 years later?

That’s easy, the past few weeks I’ve been working with my grandson who is 17 and will take his driving test in a couple of days.

But he is certainly different than I was. He doesn’t apply himself to the task like I did — he has no great desire to get his license. He does have learning issues, and a huge case of low self-esteem, so I have to cut him a lot of slack.

Learning to drive has not been easy for him. He struggles with parallel parking (don’t we all) and the 90-degree back-in parking. I can appreciate that, so we’ve devoted a number of sessions to those maneuvers. However, I can’t say that I’ve seen much improvement. In fact, he seems to have regressed. Normally, practice makes perfect, right? Not so with him. He’ll park almost perfectly between the cones one time and the next he’ll be four feet from the curb or bump one of the cones (which I’m told is an automatic failure).

I’m not the best teacher, but I’m available and have the time and willingness to do what I can. So I do my best. Besides, it’s a great time to have some one-on-one time with my grandson. (At his age, it’s hard to find time to fit grandpa into his schedule.)

We were supposed to meet today for one final lesson before his test but he texted me this morning and said he hadn’t slept well and didn’t feel up to driving today. I wished him good luck on the test and told him grandma and I are rooting for him and hoped he will nail the test. (He’s tried and failed twice.)

Being a praying man, I’m also on my knees asking the Big Guy upstairs to help out. I pray it is not a case of too little, too late.

I do hope he passes as it would provide a huge boost to his self-esteem as well as provide him with more options for school, work, and play. Living in a semi-rural area with no public transportation, he has to depend on others for rides. He’s signed up for the work release program at school next year. Having a license will make it much easier for him to get to and from his job.

Will you join me in my prayers for him? Thanks!

Happy Reading, Writing and Connecting.