Skip to main content

at the wheel

Since my son just had a birthday, I figured it was time we teach him to drive.

He just turned six. And I’m not even sure he will be able to reach the pedals in another ten years.

And some of you might be thinking that six is too young to drive, but I was taking the wheel on my dad or brother’s lap at least by then. And you think all that extra practice would have made me a better driver….but that is another blog post.

So this morning, I needed to run to the gas station and told him he could crawl on my lap and steer down the dirt road. Until we got to the highway. We can’t do these kinds of things in town and better take advantage of the opportunities when we can.
He was hesitant. But sat on my lap and grabbed the wheel anyways.
And then on the way back. And again on the next run with his dad.
And dad gave him a little more command of the wheel than I did.
I just kept telling him to watch the road and try to keep it straight, but we were swerving all over the place.
On the grass. Almost in the ditch. And then he’d correct and jerk the wheel back in the opposite direction. And we’d end up on the other side of the ditch.
Then – just when he got it going steady or center, the road would turn. And he'd have to start all over again.

And I hardly think about keeping my car on the road and can steer with my knees or while checking my phone, while eating lunch, or while changing the song on my radio.
Yes, I know those are all bad habits. And it is no wonder why I have so many tickets!
But despite my bad habits – I usually can keep my car in the right lane.

But.
I do understand my son’s tendency to overcompensate. To overcorrect. That is something I still quite haven’t figured out. And I still get frustrated when you finally get it figured out and the path changes. And usually the answer is as simple as keeping your focus in the right place and trying to keep going straight ahead.


And we can all be thankful that this kid has another ten years before he is street legal. Me, however, you might want to watch out for.

(and I’ve only got dial up here…so will have to upload pics later )

Comments

seotrafic.ro said…
do you need more traffic? please contact <a href="http://seotrafic.ro/>traffic exchange</a>
June 23, 2011 at 8:19 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

multiple choice

As I write I am procturing a test ( yes on a Saturday, and no I am not getting paid for it.) The room is silent. The only noises I hear are pencils scratching on papers and pages turning. If I listen closely enough I swear I can hear their brains turning. I have always been a good test-taker. I would still regularly brag about my SAT scores if it wre socially appropriate to do so(or an actual indicator of anything meaningful). There is something comforting about multiple choice. (well as long as you don't have the crappy all of the above or none of the above choices...just the classic A, B, C, D variety). There are parameters. Multiple choice means you have options. The right answer is right in front of you, and all you have to do is find it. Even if you don't actually know which one the right answer is there are usually clues, it can be narrowed down or worked backwards. Even a blind guess is likely to be right 25% of the time. These aren't bad odds. All you have t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Turning the question

My school has been sending me to some inquiry training. The “i” word has been thrown around since my education classes in college. It is one of those things that is really good as a concept but kind of hard to pull off in the classroom well. For lots of reasons. But the big one number is because teachers are reluctant to let go of the control. To let the kids loose with a concept and see where they end up. Let them discover, own it and share out all on their own. Without intervening. Then push them a little bit further and clear up any misconceptions that they are holding onto before they slip out your door. This is supposed to be the most meaningful way for a kid to learn. For them to discover rather than memorize. One of the other problems with inquiry and science is that kids have stopped learning how to ask questions. My son bombards me with whys all day long. Why are owls nocturnal? (which comes out a lot more like “not-turtles”) Why do I have to take a shower? Why ...
Post a Comment
Read more

nickel and dime

Recently my son wanted to buy something that he had saved up his money for. A lava lamp. And he had the cash for it. The only problem was that most of it was in change. So he filled his pockets with about ten pounds of coinage and we headed to the store. Now, the easiest thing would be for me to put it on my debit card. With the few other items I of course needed. But I wanted him to own every bit of the process (and learn a thing or two about sales tax). So I glared at the people behind us who were muttering as my sweet guy counted out his change. All 14.99 + tax of it. And he proudly took home his new lava lamp carrying it oh so carefully to the car. Because it was his. He had bought it with his own hard earned cash. One quarter, dime and nickel at a time. I haven’t bought anything more than a cup of coffee with change in years. But in high school and college I used to do it all the time. I’d raid my dad’s change box and buy pizza. I’d gather up all the change in my cup...
10 comments
Read more