Such a lofty title for such a a mundane topic. As in, I’m actually just going to rant a bit about licenses – actual drivers licenses (or as the state of Texas calls them, driver licenses).
As a homeschooling family with teenage children, it dawned on my wife and me last year that we would have to undertake the task of helping our children learn to drive. My son was first. And yours truly vowed many years ago that he would never, under any circumstances, be the “instructor” in a situation involving a new driver. I am not afraid of anything in this world. Except new drivers. And clowns.
I came to discover a few things about life in 2024 in America. The first is that young people today do not have the same drive (pun intended) as previous generations to learn to operate a motor vehicle. Granted, I grew up in New Jersey where one may not get a permit until he turns seventeen under normal circumstances. But in Texas where nine year-olds routinely drive farm equipment on local streets, the apparent legal age is fifteen. I thought my boy would be more excited to get behind the wheel and earn his freedom. It seems that most his age, however, could care less. “Don’t you even just want to be able to run out to McDonald’s once in a while on your own,” I asked him. “I can always DoorDash,” came his reply. Wow.
Back to the homeschooling family aspect. In Texas, parents are given the option to do something called “Parent Taught Driver Education”. This is just what I wanted – not. After pleading with my wife it was determined that I would help him with the classroom portion (a series of online modules designed for a mentally incapacitated monkey to pass) while she would handle the behind-the-wheel stuff. Well, things got away from us and due to a number of factors including his aforementioned lack of interest, we’re still working on it a year later.
Deciding to tackle this bull by the horns, we opted to just find a driving school. And did you know that this requires a “transfer document” ascribing instructor roles to the new school? Oh yes, it reads like an admission of parental failure. “I hearby authorize XYZ Driving Academy to take over the portions of my previously designated responsibilities for my child because I suck.” My pride. I let it bother me for all of three seconds before looking for the signature line. And it has to be notarized.
So say a few prayers for all the drivers of the Lone Star State. We’ll get this done.
Of course I could probably just drive him down to Juarez and let him walk back in with the millions of others. Then Catholic Charities will get him a license no problem and probably even a new iPhone.
God bless Texas!
Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad 