Thursday, June 01, 2006

First Driving Lesson

Well, Josh and I went out for his first driving lesson. We made it back in one piece! I drove him to this park area in town that has 20 mph roads around it. He practiced driving around the roads for several minutes. I have forgotten how awkward driving for the first time really is. I guess I was naive but I sort of thought we'd get in, go around the park a few times and then he'd be ready to drive home! Not quite. It's been so long since I was a first time driver. Or perhaps I was just a natural... yeah right. Actually on one of my first lessons, I wrecked my dad's truck. Note to others: do not teach a child to drive a stick shift in their first driving experience. I got a lot of experience driving the back roads near my house in the middle of nowhere before I took driver's ed. I remember the first day of the "in car" driving we headed out on the the streets of town. I'm glad I had some practice beforehand and already felt fairly comfortable behind the wheel.
Overall Josh did fine, but he is still very awkward about braking and turning. I think we're going to need a lot more backroad practice before heading out on the streets in town. He tends to really hug the far right and braking isn't very smooth yet. I really hope I'm cut out for this. A few times tonight I really wish I had a brake on my side of the car. I'm glad we have six months to practice.

2 comments:

Andrew said...

Congratulations for Josh. I wanted to say he is extremely handsome young man from the pictures you posted the other day. I know you must be proud of him.

I will tell you a story of how I learned to drive. My grandmother and her two elderly sisters used to go get their hair done in Camphill, Alabama twice a week. I would stay the summers with my grandmother. One sister couldn’t drive and never learned and the other two were afraid to drive on big highway 280 to get to Camphill. I was only twelve or thirteen at the time and they would get me to drive them! Now days, that would be a lawsuit waiting to happen in this lawsuit happy day and age. Back then, it was perfectly acceptable for young farm boys to drive around town.

Marvis Carswell said...

It may have been your first driving lesson, but it looks like you and Josh already know how to drive. By the way, where did you have your first driving lesson? Anyway, I hope that you and Josh turned out to be responsible drivers!