Embracing the Ordinary

I will not overthink...I will not overthink......I will not overthink.  This shall be my blogger phrase.

Teaching a teenager to drive

Not Special:

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation) says that in 2006 there were 13 million teenagers on the road.  I'm sure there are more on the road this year. So among those teenagers and their parent educators, is it ORDINARY for me to experience teaching my son to drive? Yep. And I would love to be present to observe other parents during those tense moments. Personally, I'm pretty sure we have all been found clenching muscles we didn't know we had.

http://www.dtadadap.com/PDF/STATS/2007/2007-TSF-YoungDrivers.pdf

Special?: You Tell Me

• So within the context of wanting to be a kind parent, the goal while teaching my son to drive has been to Make it Fun, Don't Give in to Fear, Have Graduated Expectations as time passes.  Today, he did not hit anything.  He made a lot of mistakes, but most of them were not worth mentioning TODAY.  Today was a "get comfortable with being on the road" day and "Let's just not hit anything or cause anyone else to hit anything while avoiding us".We succeeded today. 

  I clenched my little toe.  Unbelievable               that I can do that involuntarily.  I amaze myself.