There are so many milestones in life...and in the life of being a parent. Today was one for Eldest...and for me. My 14 year old baby boy got to drive for the first time today.

While earlier in the week I'd mentioned to him that maybe the weekend would be a good time to give his first lesson a go, to his knowledge, when we left the house this afternoon it was just to get him some weights for working out. He'd been wanting some and I'd been pricing. When we got in the car I found that I kept glancing over at him him a warm smile and en route I asked him if he was excited about driving some day. He smiled and said yes. When we were getting gas I took a longer moment to look n smile and he finally said "What?!" Lol I told him that I was just thinking about how quickly he was growing up (did the sappy Mom thing) then asked him if he'd like his first driving lesson. He tried to play it cool, but his little smile spoke many words.

We pulled into the AT&T parking lot and switched seats. For the first lesson I mostly wanted him to get used to where things were, get a feel for the car, etc. He sat behind the steering wheel with a big grin on his face...and I realized that mine was about as big, lol. I was so excited for him (as well as it scaring the fuck out of me, of course ). As he went to buckle up, I grabbed my camera and started clicking away. "Moooooom", he exasperated.

While I admit that during the lesson my foot reached out to hit the invisible brake on the passenger side a couple of times, lol, it went well (Much better than my first time ). I could sense his nervousness and excitement and reveled in it all. I would calmly explain things, potential situations, etc. At one point he accidentally drove past the last turn into the lot and was heading for the street. It wasn't a busy street (unless it was baby duck season, with them stopping all the cars as they waddled across, lol, but we have some time before that still), so I wasn't worried, but it made him nervous and he turned into the next lot that he could...then drove over a curb, lol.

After the lesson we went and got a Jamba Juice and then his weights. It was a really nice time...quality time. A day I'll always remember.

Later that evening Youngest and I watched a movie we've seen many times but never grow tired of...My Cousin Vinnie. We sat there, fire roaring in the fireplace, watching, laughing, quoting along with the movie and eating candy orange slices. Far into the movie, he laid his head on my lap, I ran my hands through his hair and we snuggled to the end.

These are the moments I treasure. From the milestones to the things we've done a million times, yet never tire of.

It was a good day.

I agree the kids always grow up way too fast......in some things anyway. but in others not so much. With my son turning 16 a couple months ago I am hoping I have given my last lesson. That sitting there grabbing the door handle and the console in a white knuckles death clutch acting as if everything is fine really isn't for me. If I ever do another one I think I'll check with the cops and see if we both have to be sober to do it or since I'm not behind the wheel if perhaps I can have a few.

If the cops pulled you over, you would have been fined.
He should be 15 1/2, take a written exam AND PASS IT,
and have a learner's permit.

Everyone love HH, but honey you be wrong this time!
Go with the law, make sure he knows the rules. Not
just to step on the gas and brake. If he drove over
a curb, he could drive over a kid.

you're a brave lady hh! only I figured that was dad's job? I don't know.my mom wasn't the one who drove with me during my learning time.but she did after I got my license. its getting harder and harder to find an emty parking lot around here. lucky you found one. they are fun even now and im not practicing anymore. lol!

Thats cool HH.
I did that with my kids .Although my son was a little too good in the beginning .Think he had his dads pick up out at some point .Now that they have there own vehicles they want the bike like there mom.
My daughter might be getting herr licence this summer
That would be a blast riding with my kids.
I think LMAO.
Hugs HH

HH, I can still recall teaching my oldest to drive. There’s no telling how many mail boxes and cars parked on the street I saved that first day by reaching over and grabbing the steering wheel. I remember screaming out, “Son, I don’t care how many lamp posts, cars, people or whatever you smashed up on that video game you play… but this shit is for real!” Within the first month of having his license he totaled his first car. It was raining and he lost it going around a sharp turn when his car hydroplaned. My neighbor down the road is a deputy and I’ll never forget that phone call…the most scared I’ve ever been in my life. Somebody needs to come up with bumper pads and training wheels for cars!

happy SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

Stay Super Sweet

"With my son turning 16 a couple months ago I am hoping I have given my last lesson."
BS, that's the funniest line you've come up with yet!

That is awesome HH. It was almost as if i was there with you. I can see that young mans smile, almost as anticipating this as he would a first kiss. I have had 2 young men go tru this expirience. My oldest in a 1992 ford 5 speed. I did to him what was done to me by my Brother in law, after a litle practice took him out to a nice steep hill. Stop the car and have him start again.. I do not know how the clutch survived lol. That was 6 years ago. This Xmas I gave that old truck to him. He drives it now like nobodys Buisness but yet when i see him in it now, It just reminds me of a warm fuzzy moment..that involved lots of yelling(lol)

Rock on momma,never miss a moment if you can help it. Today for him was the beginning of that song(Life is a highway) Or in this case .an ATT parking lot

Mom wasn't allowed to drive. My father said it made women too independent, along with lipstick, guitars, LPs, and friends. So when she brought her 5 kids to the north to start over, she saved her pennies and finally bought an old Chevy Impala for $150.00. She would get us off to school and begin practicing, in and out of the driveway, then up and down our little road. When she felt secure enough, a friend took her to the DMV and she got her license at 40 years old.
Driving dirt trails became part of our growing up, looking for deer or bittersweet or a new stream to fish. One afternoon, way out in the woods somewhere, she pulled over and looked at me and said, "Your turn". I was 14. In a quieter time and place where there was nothing to hit but trees, each of us had our day when she would say, "Your turn."

Be sure to remind him incase of an accident to aim at hitting the cheapest thing possible.

Good to see you again, HH. Welcome back.

You want to keep your kids safe, then driving lessons are the way to go. Our kids take drivers' education in school and and taught the rules of the road. Taking lessons also reduces the cost of insurance. It's a win-win situation

Hey Tuck happy Super Bowl Sunday to you too.
Love ya sweet man.

Those moments with your teens when you feel so close are awesome, and unfortunatly at times far inbetween. Teenagers have that bad habit of thinkin they don`t are too grown up tohang out with mom . I`m glad you and your son are so close!

To those of you that gave HH a boost, THANKS!
And to you HH, right on. It's a parents responsibility to teach their kids at home and I see you are setting an example. But please, when you teach your 14 year old to drive, don't post it here because we have professionals and experts that will criticize you for the age. I realize each state has it's own laws and I'm not familiar with Californis, and it sounds like some others aren't either. But it's a OK for them. LMAO.
I see nothing wrong with what you are doing and I praise you!
Have a good one.
Incidentally, is La Canada Flintridge the Spanish pronunciation of Hemet? Or did your sons driving cause that big mud slide I was reading about. LOL. I thought maybe Stenen caused it!

Must have been a sweet, fun day HH! You sound like an awesome mom. Made me think of that song, "When Daddy Let Me Drive" by Alan Jackson -- he writes about his memories of learning to drive and how he felt like Mario Andretti. There's that saying that, "the family that prays together stays together," but I think also the family that PLAYS together stays together! And it sounds like y'all have a lot of fun in your family.

How Cool Helping Hand! Sounded like a really nice family day.

Here we teach the kids @ 16, and there are already WAY too many deaths, mostly young ones, the law is thinking of making it 17yrs and also restricting the power of the car a probationer can drive, also restricting how many friends to a car to curb the deaths, we had 3 16yr olds killed only last weekend, they get into a car and think they are invincible, too late once they are dead.
I believe 14 too young, they grow up fast enough as it is, they are not adult enough in their thinking to have the responsibility, I know there are exceptions to every rule but 14? having driving lessons? What is the legal age there?
I'm glad you're close but be careful, you'd hate to lose your son early.
We just watched this funeral for the three 16yr olds, so it is fresh in my mind.
Once they have their licence and get with their mates you can't be with them 24/7, not telling you what to do but I wouldn't be rushing with this.
I can't imagine what the 3 mothers of those boys killed must be going thru.
I sure didn't let my son have early lessons and I still hate that he rides a motorcycle, so far there have been several of those deaths this year too and they weren't all young either.
Don't mean to sound like I am lecturing, just what we have witnessed here this last week makes me shudder @ the thought.

Great story HH. My oldest was a terrible learner and had a heck of a time learning to drive. I finally had a woman drive with her for about one month before she took her road test. Problem was I turned into my Dad when she got behind the wheel. The younger girl was a lot better, learned easily, generally paid attention to me and the road and had no trouble getting her license. It only took her about 1 1/2 months to have her first accident. Good thing that old cars are cheap, and we live in the Motor City.

Lol, BS, I Did find myself reaching out in the air in a Yikes fashion a couple of times and then made myself stop.

Aus, ? and anons, I totally hear what your saying and respect your input. 16 is driving age here, with lessons starting at 15 1/2. He'll be 15 in June. He will Definitely be taking professional lessons and I've already been referred to a good school. The thought of my kids driving scares the crap out of me. The odds of them getting in an accident within the first year are ridiculously high. As such, I want him to get as Much experience as possible and feel comfortable and competent before he is out there on his own. There were no pedestrians around and only about 2 cars in the entire lot (which we steered clear of).

Tootsie, I'm curious, why do you see it as Dad's job? I'm also the one who had the sex talks with the boys. Hubby said he'd be very open to answering any questions they came to him with but wasn't comfortable approaching them with 'the talk'. As you may have noticed, I'm comfortable talking about most anything, lol, so mortifying the boys was no problem for me. I'm generally one of them peeps that, beyond the obvious, doesn't believe so much in the man's job vs the woman's job. I believe that whoever gets to the door first opens it for the other. Think it's great if a man can cook and sew and love a handy(wo)man around the house. I'm gonna shut up now...I could really go off in this, which I know wasn't your intention, lol.

Very cool, BB...I think you'll have a great time riding with your kids!!

DI, I remember you telling me of your eldests accident long ago and had that horror in my mind as part of deciding to get eldest started now. Not that it will prevent an accident, but just gotta do all I can. Lmao at the video game comparison...boy oh boy, do I hear ya on that!!! it also flashed me back to Hubby and I in an arcade in Vegas, playing Crazy Taxi side by side. Seriously crazy game! Had me laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my cheeks as I did exactly what you describe above, lol!

Tuck, did your team win?

Thanks Simple! If you go to MySpace you can literally see his smile. He's forbidden me from putting them on Facebook as some of his friends are on my friends list...had to fight for MySpace and none of his friends are on there, lol. I agree about the special memories it creates. He's still smiling about it today...and that's something for him!!

Well, hippie sis, as you can probably guess from my response to the sweet Tootsie Pop, I definitely have my opinion on your Mom being limited like that. Though, to hear hd talk of his Dad brings a smile and says there was definitely a good heart there. I think it's wonderful that your Mom took the initiative, made things happen for herself and passed that on to you kids!!! So, what's 'bittersweet' and what's it used for?

Thanks #3!

Ok, time to get Youngest from his friends, so I guess I'll have to finish later.