- Home/ High School Information / Curriculum /
- Driver’s Education from a Mother’s Perspective/
Driver’s Education from a Mother’s Perspective
Nothing has driven more fear in me then the day that my baby boy got behind the wheel with ME in the passenger’s seat! I can honestly say I was not prepared for it! It’s not that he is a bad driver – – just inexperienced. I honestly don’t remember when it was me behind the wheel for the first time, BUT I am sure my mother does. When I was his age, driver’s education was a course that you could take for the insurance break, but it wasn’t required. Here in North Carolina, I was surprised to learn about the different levels of getting your driver’s license. There are several levels that you have to go through before you can get your permit, then driver’s license. As a parent, I was happy to see that it has gotten more difficult for them – – they can’t just go get their license and take off. Restrictions are put in place so that they can’t drive during certain hours, or have too many other teens in their cars in the first six months. This is a restriction that would have saved a lot of lives in my hometown.
Here is a site with helpful information on driver’s education for your state . Also, your state homeschool site usually has some great information as well. I suggest that around your child’s fourteenth birthday you begin to find out what the process is for your state or country. There are usually long waiting lists for state-funded programs, so the earlier that you can get your teen’s name on the list the better.
Besides the required classes and driving times, I sat down and talked with my son about driving and the responsibilities. As a homeschooling mama, I feel that I have a really close bond with my driving teen, so these talks are easy for us. As we are driving, we talk about driving, watching out for other drivers, and – – since we are in a bigger city – – pedestrians. We are about four months away our son being eligible to get his license. He has improved so much, and I have gotten fewer gray hairs lately.
Whew!
About pandahoneybee
Michelle has been a stay at home mom since her boys were born, in her previous life was an architectural drafter.
She now lives in North Carolina with her family(but has also called MO,AZ,FL,OR,IL home) and has been secular homeschooling since 2008.
Since she began homeschooling, her passion for literature helped create a site where it promotes
homeschoolers as the main or supporting characters.
Her personal blog gives a look into her somewhat crazy life, but shows how much fun homeschooling can be!
June 17, 2012
I shared your fears early on. My son came up with this idea for a magnet to make others aware that he was an inexperienced driver and to take extra caution. It was a great idea and has really caught on. If you are interested here is a link where you can get the magnets. They say, “WE ALL HAD TO LEARN-NEW DRIVER-PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE. He did some research and learned that A LO of accidents happen when experienced drivers do not realize that someone is a new driver and one or the other takes random risks or makes unexpected moves. Helping others to know that he is inexperienced has GREATLY improved our driving time and lowered the stress levels for many-both in and out of the car. Here is the link http://www.victoryprinting.net/ Maybe it will be of interest to you or someone you know.