Two bridges and a raging river...NOT!

So, I let #1Son drive the car tonight.

SG drove him to the local “sure, you passed a written test, you seem mature enough, you certainly look old enough, I’ll give you a license to drive a car” insurance place and paid for his learner’s permit. (Well, we paid… apparently he had reached his daily point of sale limit on his bank card by buying “lunch for the guys and getting new brake pads” for the motorcycle.)

And while I know I said I WAS NOT going to let him drive The Cav until he had at least four, preferably ALL eight, “behind the wheel” sessions with the Driver Ed teacher, I buckled. You know, got all “well, he did pass with only two wrong and he does know how to drive a motorcycle, and really, why not?”

This was not necessarily the right decision to make.

He actually wanted to drive from the gas station to where I was dropping him off, but there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen! Drive over two bridges? I think not! Just wasn’t going to happen. "But Mom!!! if I drive from where you're going to let me drive from, it'll only be like 2 blocks." was the response to my resounding "NO!!!" I had visions of guard rails snapping and The Cav plunging to an icy cold death (not to mention us) in a river that has a current I wouldn’t even want to toss a fishing line into for fear of being hauled in by a trophy catfish and never seeing the light of day again! And worse than that, no one would know I caught a trophy catfish!!

And such a good decision on my behalf, if I do say so myself.

After I crossed both bridges, I somewhat reluctantly, yet still somewhat excited, handed over the seat and wheel to my first born. And off we went. With my kid driving the car. Imagine my trepidation. Which, by the way, turned into absolute fear as we approached oncoming cars. Four of them in fact. At which time #1Son nearly put us into the ditch. Which, while not as deep as the river, nor as forceful, just as frickin’ cold!!

The air was blue as I tried to explain that he really needed to get back on the road and off the shoulder. Actually, the air was kind of panic-y too. Okay, okay, I was frightened. Very frightened. And swearing. Lots.

It was as he was pulling into his buddy's driveway (and nearly falling off that as well) that the decision was made.

I’m calling the Driver Ed instructor and advising her that if she doesn’t feel one hundred percent comfortable and absolutely impressed and stunned by #1Son’s driving ability after the 16 hours in the car with him (8 behind the wheel, 8 watching), she needs to tell me. In brutally honest fashion.

Because this is what I dealt with tonight: "Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch your speedometer AND the road at the same time?"

And I’m also preparing #1Son to the real life fact that if the Driver Ed instructor isn’t as impressed as she needs to be in order for him to drive my car, well, he better start saving. Either for a bus pass or a car.

His choice.

I’m not sure I’ll survive this.