GOOD MORNING!
We received the April 6 Waynedale News paper about the teenage traffics deaths. I read it aloud to everyone. I agree with you part of the way. My fear is, if I didn’t instruct Danielle how to drive she could just go get her license when she was 18 with no experience or instruction. I enrolled her in Master Drive two weeks before she was 15, which was $675 dollars up front! But the guy who owns it is a racecar driver and they give the kids two full days of driving encounter upon how to react to avoid a wreck. Then many textbook lessons, as well as, driving lessons and if Master Drive feels they are not fully prepared, they won’t let them pass to get the license. So Danielle was able to get her permit on her 15th birthday and in Colorado they have to have a permit for one full year before obtaining a license. She drove with her father, Dan to CA. She drove to and from school everyday with me and ran errands at nighttime, during the day, during weather conditions. Now I can legally ride in the back seat since she has her license, but I still ride with her and we haven’t gotten her a car.
As a junior in high school she has ‘open campus’ but I told her she couldn’t leave school with any friend, as they have to book it back to make class. People say I am a paranoid mom not to let her go with friends, but I am trying to teach her how to make responsible decisions. I know she will do things against my will but fortunately I don’t think I am too restrictive. I have let her pick up one friend a block away from the theatre and take her to the movie.
Three kids have died in the high school they attend this year so far. The first, Houston, who had a heart problem died in October 2004 during a Deca meet at school. He had a heart attack. In December two 16 year old boys were riding their bikes over a pond by our house and one broke through the ice, his name is Jeremiah who is in Danielle’s programming class, his friend Mike who is in Alyssa’s homeroom class went out to help Jeremiah. Jeremiah got out safe but Mike in saving Jeremiah fell in and the rescue crews didn’t find him for three hours and he died. That was heartbreaking and so close to us. On Valentines Day lots of people saw a body hanging from the swing set at a distance from the road and thought it was a prank. It was Jason Wahl. He was a senior at their school. His girlfriend had broken up with him the night before.
Life happens. I feel for the girls but I tell them to deal with it, acknowledge it and try to learn from all of them, and what their family and friends go through.
Danielle cannot talk on her cell phone while driving either, and as far as I know, looking at the bill and when she drives, she does not! While they are still young there are restrictions on her license while she is still learning but I am trying to do all I can do to teach and instruct her and have her learn who to ride with or who to drive around. It is a scary time giving the keys to your kid, but hopefully it won’t just be luck that gets them through . . . having God in their life and hopefully enough instruction and training before they are out in the world alone. Does this make any sense? Or do I just sound like a mom that is yearning for another driver to help cart the kids to different things? Who knows!
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