DebbieDoesLife

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Driver's Ed


"Back in the day" when I was 15 1/2, ready to drive, with learner's permit in hand, WHAT I was going to drive was secondary. I didn't care what it was or looked like, just as long as it had wheels and a motor, I was thrilled.

Son #2 is getting close to 15. He is smelling Driver's Ed in his near future and can't wait to achieve the level of independence that driving brings one.

Thinking I would make his little Freshman day I said, "maybe we will keep my Trailblazer and you could drive it."

#2 Son: Are you serious? (this was said with an incredulous tone. Not incredulous like How Could I Be So Lucky but incredulous, Why The F*** Would I Want To Drive This Car)

Me: Well, I was. (this said slow and drawn out...)

#2 Son: I don't like your car. (this was half whispered/half muttered.

People! My Chevy Trailblazer is a 2005, red/burgundy LT model. Do you know what I had to drive when I turned 16?? A 1967 Chevy Pickup!! That thing was BUTT ugly but I didn't care! It afforded me driving priviledges! Independence! Mobility! (besides the middle console was huge and great for stashing beer).
I don't understand the attitude that I owe him a sexy, sports car. For one thing, I love my boys too much to put them into a sports car of any kind when they turn 16. This is a good kid. I don't mean to blacken his name but its a problem I have seen in his generation.
All I know is that when I was his age, my parents even mentioning that I could drive AT ALL, even if it was my mother's station wagon, was enough for me to throw myself on the ground and worship them.
Is gratitude dead in this generation? Because entitlement seems alive and well.

posted by DebbieDoesLife at 7:37 PM

11 Comments:

  • Oooh Debbie, you're preaching to the choir here. My 17 year old daughter (they get their licenses later here, I guess) is so incredulous that we did not buy her a car on her birthday, that she can barely speak to me some days. (I consider those the "good days" frankly.) She has even gone so far as to start questioning any purchases I make, reminding me that her car has not yet materialized, and how dare I buy a computer when SHE NEEDED A CAR.

    This does not take into account that she's been working for over a year, and has saved...how much?...oh let me see...last count she was overdrawn $63.00

    By Blogger Candy, at 9/27/2007 8:07 AM  

  • Right! No one even gave me a car--I had to beg and borrow my parents. And I was fine with the borrowed Ford Escort--thank you very much.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9/27/2007 8:28 AM  

  • I know, kids today, huh? Anna (not even 12 yet) already talks about driving and her first car. Scary!

    By Blogger Renee, at 9/27/2007 9:44 AM  

  • Seriously!! Your car is brand new and he's sniffing at it? Those darn kids...

    By Blogger teahouse, at 9/27/2007 3:28 PM  

  • I think your son would totally embrace the car as his, once he got the keys to it. There are ways he can personalize it.
    The important question:
    does it have a good place to stash beer like his mom's did when she was 16?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9/27/2007 4:31 PM  

  • I had to share the family car with my twin brother. It was a gray Toyota Corolla. I got it once a week. I can understand when my kids didn't want to drive the mini-van, but for some reason they liked driving the ugly brown Datsun pick-up. It was called the poop-truck. Yes... it was that color of brown.

    By Blogger Brenda, at 9/28/2007 12:22 PM  

  • Dude! Tell him it could be worse...he could be driving a Ford Tempo like the one I started off driving in, the car that had this annoying little habit of having spontaneous engine fires for no real reason...

    By Blogger mamatulip, at 9/28/2007 12:53 PM  

  • My first car was a 1985 powder blue Plymouth Reliant. It was two years younger than me. But I learned to love that car. It was my ticket to freedom. And at $1,000, it wasn't too heartbreaking when it got rear-ended, dented, and then died four years later. Get him a beater. It'll be a much more valuable life lesson.

    By Blogger Tink, at 9/30/2007 9:46 PM  

  • Amen!!! My first car was in college - baby blue Pontiac Grand LeMans. And here is a novel thought....I had to buy it myself.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/01/2007 7:44 AM  

  • He's just getting close to 15, so he has plenty of time to start working and saving money, and if he has enough for a down payment (or half payment, if his parents want to kick in the other half), great. Otherwise, he can drive the Mom-mobile. Least that's how I'd handle it. Of course, my son is only 6.5, so check back with me in 8.5 years. ;^)

    By Blogger B.E.C.K., at 10/01/2007 12:37 PM  

  • Sheesh. I was driving a Chevy Newport that was at least as old as I was when I got my permit. That car was a land-whale. I could literally lay down flat in the back seat. Not that I ever did ;o)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10/02/2007 9:23 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home