Mea Culpa
“You’re driving like an idiot.â€
Dad’s spontaneous, oh so helpful outburst as Matthew slows at a corner to keep the Mazda on four wheels, but treats the stop sign like it’s a green flag at the Indianapolis 500. I had already kept my mouth shut when he stopped on the crosswalk at the first traffic light, when he nearly “got air†over the railroad tracks and when he flew into the video store’s empty parking lot. But the stop sign pushed me over the edge.
We were on our way to Dan’s birthday party and Matt had again asked if he could drive. He always asks, we always say, yes. But after my gentle admonition I thought, always has been less than a week. Sure he drove for two years in our yard, racing from one end and burying the nose of the car in the bushes at the other end, but that is all of a hundred feet. No lights, no other cars.
Diane summed it up after we got home. She said, “What if we had an incompetent child we were teaching to drive? We barely tell him anything and he’s driving.†And that’s what I had to remind myself, that he doesn’t whiz through stop signs or stop on cross walks because he has suddenly became a seasoned Massachusetts driver. He’s a kid learning to drive.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you Matt.†Thinking to myself, how does an idiot drive, anyway?
As I was sitting at my computer thinking about our highway drive home and how accomplished a driver he already is, I saw Matt walking across the front lawn with his friend Joe.
“I got to drive on Route 2. “ he told Joe. I could almost hear the buttons pop.
Matt had a the whole yard, I, the driveway. First time I went out alone, it was to the A&P across from Franklin Drugs, and when I “flew” into my parking stall, the idea of the “brakes” had slipped my mind. (I was just living in the thrill of the moment, which ended absolutely, and suddenly.)
I’m sure he’ll remember the brakes.
Comment by p — July 21, 2003 @ 4:28 am
My first driver’s ed day at Reitz, I didn’t know which way to turn the key in the ignition.
You learned to drive when? Sixteen, seventeen? You were in Cambridge soon afer your seventeeth birthday.
Comment by Michael — July 21, 2003 @ 4:56 am
While you may not have used words to tell Matt anything about driving, yet he is driving, you surely have shown him “how” to drive for the past sixteen years. For example, how many times, Mr. Dad, have you run a stop sign, saying, “There’s no one coming”? And in that regard, since the boy clearly learns by example, I think all citizens of Massachusetts should be happy that the boy’s mother got comfortable with a stick shift before Matt came along to watch. Does anyone remember when she would only make right hand turns? Took her forever to go nine blocks!
Comment by Auntiesue — July 21, 2003 @ 9:14 am
If I knew Diane was not going to read this comment, it might embolden me to mention that even today, those left hand turns are a challenge.
And, I never run stop signs. The hanging, glowing red variety, however, those I’ve been known to pass through, but whatever, your point is well taken. My driving habits, which I would might call dashing, reflected back at me, look downright scary.
Comment by Michael — July 21, 2003 @ 4:29 pm
Michael, I have taught my two oldest daughters to drive, and have lived to talk about it. I have been driving for 30 years, and don’t even think twice about it when I drive. When I rode with Andrea and Renee while they learned, I bit my tongue and did not say anything about what they did wrong until we got home and had parked the car. I did not want to make them more nervous than they already were, and I only said something right away if it was life threatening! The best thing you can do as an instructor is be positive and not show how scared you are (tough to do at times)!
Matt, too bad we don’t live closer, I would love to pass on some of my Auto Mechanic knowledge and experience to someone. The girls are only interested in shopping, go figure… Have fun with the driving stuff, but be careful.
The garage is up as of yesterday, although there is much more to do. I had 15 of my friends and one contractor helping me build it, and we had all the walls up and together in 1 hour, forty minutes. The trusses are up and just need to be blocked in. All that was done in one day. Awesome! I will load pictures on Webshots as soon as I have time.
Comment by David Stochl — July 25, 2003 @ 12:44 am
Within one hour of getting my drivers license I took a sign down (I believe it was a “no parking this side” sign). I was in my fathers Dodge Polara (also known as Das Boot) and it was quite the boat of a car. I was so scared I took off. It was right in front of the Belmont Police station no less. The sign was fixed and I have not done it since (though I did take down a pole with speaker at the Wellfleet Drive-In last week). I never told my father as Das Boot never got a scratch. However had I told him, I’m quite sure Idiot would have absolutely been in the ensuing littany.
Comment by chris — August 1, 2003 @ 5:04 pm