Guess What?

Guess who got her new driver's license today??

That's right! Princess!

I can't believe that half of my children have driver's licenses now. At the risk of getting in big trouble, I'm going to tell you a little about my drivers. I guess I need to preface this by saying that I don't really like to drive, so I am pretty much always happy to have one of the kids behind the wheel. That means I have had plenty of opportunity to observe their driving habits.

Remember that I am sort of an expert at riding and critiquing somebody's driving. My dad was a driver's ed teacher and I spent many hours in the backseat because he wasn't able to take out a single student so one of us would have to go with him.

When Bossy turned 16 I was soooo excited to finally have another driver!! My sweetie worked long hours and I just needed someone to run kids to the dance studio or to the school. Bossy was an amazing driver right from the get-go. She watched her dad and emulated his movements. My only complaint was that sometimes she tended to stop a little too fast, which wasn't a big deal unless I was 8 1/2 months pregnant. (When I was 9 months along is was like BRING IT ON!)

The Gym Rat was always a bit of a speed demon and he liked fast sporty cars. That's why I currently have an old Camero with a super souped-up engine sitting on my driveway. Not that it can manage to pass inspection right now... (thank goodness...).

The Drama Queen was a distracted driver. She liked to look around and see what was going on elsewhere besides the road. In her defense, I drive the same way. I've just always been interested in my surroundings and what other people are doing. Now that she drives a Ford pickup truck she doesn't have to worry so much about being careful because people just naturally get out of her way.

Teach was a timid driver. She didn't go on the freeway (after her initial driving test) until she was almost 18. She doesn't like to drive at night because she doesn't feel like she can see well and she is more than happy to hand me the keys if we are going to Tupperware training across town. Of the many times I was in her car, I'm guessing I drove about 50% of the time.

The Dog Walker used to be a careful driver, but from what I hear lately he has gotten quite aggressive. I rarely go anywhere with him when I'm not driving. He is perfectly content to climb into the passenger seat and let me drive. Unlike Bossy who reaches for the keys even if the two of us are just running to Curves.

And then there is Princess. She is a careful and meticulous driver, just like I expected her to be. Her only fault is that she tends to accelerate through the turns at the wrong time, but that will come with a little more experience.

I took her out driving last week, trying to get all of her hours in before her appointment today and I asked her to go through the drive-up window at McDonalds. I think that actually terrified her more than the freeway! She doesn't like to talk to strangers.

Where have the days gone when the only thing I had to worry about were the strangers??