"Man Who Catch Fly With Chopstick Accomplish Anything"
What do you do when your obstinate teenager informs you that she is 15 1/2 and can now get her driving permit?
My husband and I discussed this new development in our child rearing career. We had already decided long ago that with this particular child, in order to keep her from getting her licence at the deadly age of 16, we would not fork over the gobs of money required to get her through Drivers Ed. She would therefore be compelled to wait until she was the ripe old age of 18 and hopefully have a few more brain cells for making wise driving decisions once she was left alone behind the wheel.
But that means we get to teach her how to drive, unlike my parents who passed that white-knuckling experience off on a professional (even when my instructor requested they practice more with me). So when daughter-dearest asked for her first lesson in driving I let her drive down a neighbor's long gravel driveway. She misunderstood my comment that it wasn't like driving the tractor (meaning, the foot pedals were different) and didn't turn the steering wheel tight enough as we exited the driveway, almost taking out the neighbors mailbox. She argued with me that she didn't turn the wheel because I had said it wasn't like the tractor and she thought I meant the steering. I'm not sure what she expected, but she kept arguing that her failure was my fault. Well, once that was over, I brought the matter up with my husband and we decided that the "Wax on, Wax off," method was the one for us.
So, on a sunny Saturday when she asked for her first official lesson, Daddy got out a bucket, soap, and rags and said, "Here you go, wash it." Incredulous, she looked at us like we were out of our minds.
"I'm not washing the car," she said.
"Oh yes you are, if you want to learn how to drive it," was my reply.
"You're trying to do that 'Karate Kid' thing, aren't you." She got us, but that didn't change our minds. "I'm not going to do that stupid movie," she snapped.
"I didn't know you had watched it," I said. "But regardless, that is your first lesson, so get to it. The weather's nice, it's an easy job. Come on. Just do it." It turns out she hadn't seen the movie but was aware of it.
"No," was all she said.
Later, after my husband washed the car and thus postponed her first lesson for another month or so, I discussed with her the reason why we wanted her to wash the car. First, she needs to show that she can take care of a vehicle before we let her drive it. Washing the car was just the beginning. Later would come oil checking, tire changing, and whatever else my husband would cook up in auto repair. Secondly, she needed to show us that she could be obedient and listen to our instructions. She has a long history of arguing with us every time we ask her to do something. If she isn't willing to listen to us and execute our instructions without questioning us or trying to find a reason why she shouldn't do it, then she is not ready to have control of a giant hunk of metal flying down the road at 35-50 miles per hour.
So that is where we stand. I hope she swallows her pride soon so the lessons behind the wheel can start soon. I have a feeling she's going to need all 2 1/2 years of practice.
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