A Learner's Permit, Take Two

Jess had a learner's permit when she was in high school. Doug took her out a couple times to drive and she almost took out our fence in front of the house and panicked, so she didn't want to drive anymore. She kind of did the same thing when she was learning how to ride a bike and fell off of the bike, and hasn't been back on one since.

The learner's permit expired during her freshman year at Pitt. She didn't care, she was taking the bus and getting around, living the hip urban lifestyle with her grocery bags on public transportation.

Now that she's home, we're back on the driving thing. She's semi terrified about it, but today we went and took the test again. Twenty five questions, you have to get eighteen right to pass, and she got eighteen. The last question was about under aged drag racing, and what the fine is if you're caught. And this sort of made my head explode because that may never come up again in my daughter's life but a YIELD sign might come up again, and she and 90% of Massachusetts drivers should know what the heck to do at a yield sign. Based on my commute to my happy little part time job, I would say 100% of the people who drive in Newton need review on yield signs and right of ways and well, basic niceness on the roads.

I let her drive from the intersection up the road to the driveway. She wasn't very confident, she almost hit the fence again, but she was laughing her ass off.

It helped that her friend Eric was with us. Eric makes her laugh and they have a very good time together.

Eric didn't pass his permit test, otherwise I would have given HIM a chance to drive too. So he's out $30 and sad about it. But I bought him lunch and took him and Jess to the comic book store and that cheered him up.

I'm thinking of actually sending her to a driving school because it made me nervous as hell with her behind the wheel. But suffice to say, she's got the permit and I'm hoping before summer she is a licensed driver and able to get herself around.

Fingers Crossed.