FAMILY blog
T here’s nothing quite as unnerving as teaching
your teenagers to drive. One minute you’re
strapping them into their rear-facing car seat,
and the next thing you know, they are the
ones behind the wheel asking if you’re buckled in. It’s
terrifying. Many of my teenage daughter’s friends are reluctant
to get their learner’s permits. For whatever reason,
they are content to have their parents, or other license-
bearing friends, shuttle them around. Not my daughter.

Technically, she was eligible for her permit on Christmas
day. Since the DMV was closed for the holiday, we were in
line bright and early on Dec. 26.

She passed the permit test on her first try, and I white-
knuckled it as she proudly drove us to Chick-Fil-A to
celebrate. Her pride soon turned to panic as the relentless
drivers around her impatiently honked and then passed
her. I kept telling her she had to drive faster to keep with
the flow of traffic. “But I’m going the speed limit!” she
yelled back.

This became an all-too-frequent exchange between the two
of us as she learned to drive. I was constantly telling her
to drive faster. Even though she was technically going the
speed limit, I realized how much everyone around us was
in a hurry. Myself included.

booked solid. The kids are up early and off to school, and
afternoons and evenings are filled with homework, school
projects, after-school activities, sports practice…all the
things that make our life busy, but also FULL.

This fall, I’m trying to focus on and appreciate the
blessings of a FULL family life and not get derailed by the
overwhelming busyness of it. Sometimes it’s ok to slow
down and follow the speed limit. What if every errand
doesn’t get done, or we’re a few minutes late to practice?
Life goes on. And maybe we’ve taken a moment to live it,
rather than run through it.

My daughter is now a full-blown licensed driver. I am
proud to say she is very responsible, and luckily, did not
pick up my impatient driving habits. Yes, teaching her
was terrifying at times, but the payoff is huge. She drives
herself to school, work, play rehearsals and swim practice.

She also (reluctantly) helps shuttle her little brother
around. Honestly, having a teenage driver in the mix is as
life-changing as I feared it would be, but in a good way!
Each trip she takes is one less trip I take. And I don’t take
for granted any opportunity to avoid D.C. area traffic.

So next time you’re silently cursing at the driver in front of
you for going too slow, take a breath and try to relax. Use
that moment to consider if you’re really in a hurry, or if
you’re in a hurrying habit. Don’t honk the horn or yell as
you pass. My daughter could be the one driving that car!
Having to sit in the passenger seat made me reflect on my
own bad driving habits – and how they reflect the way I
live my life in and out of the car.

As parents, we are constantly trying to get somewhere on
time and fit in that one last errand. We rush from the bus
stop to the dry cleaners to a doctor’s appointment. We
cram in a trip to the grocery store before we have to drop
off one child at soccer practice and then another at voice
lessons. And then we get to do it all in reverse and pick
everyone up again!
As much as I try to tell myself to slow down, the days fly
by. The back-to-school routine has our family calendar
6 September 2015 washingtonFAMILY.com
Debbie Williams
Managing Editor
Washington FAMILY Magazine
dwilliams@thefamilymagazine.com



HARRIS TEETER
FAMILY FUN PACK
SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS
Ticket, hot dog, chips & a drink
Starting at $15
Offer available online only. Some restrictions apply.

nationals.com/family KIDS RUN THE BASES
INSIDE THE
PARK HOME RUN
All kids ages 4–12 are invited to run the bases
at Nationals Park after select Sunday home games,
fi eld conditions permitting.

washingtonFAMILY.com September 2015
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