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How to teach your teen to drive!Aug 13 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Teaching your teen is just as difficult to learn as it is to teach. Be patient and understand.
Oh no! Your teen just got a permit! Ah! Now, you have teach them! Come on, admit it, you are terrified to teach your teen to drive. Well, I'm 16, and I'm learning. And believe it or not, teens are scared to- they just don't show it as much. Being the middle child, my mother already went through the suffering with my older brother. However, she was just as nervous, maybe more with me. I know it must be hard to teach- it’s hard to learn. Sometimes I felt like taping a huge sign on the back of the car telling people I was learning. Yeah, I got beeped, passed, cut-off and fingered before, during my learning experience. It’s hard, especially when you have a mother who screams out “She learning!” every time a car does something other than drive. I have been lucky though, I haven’t got in a car accident yet- close though. Believe me, I have a pole and a traffic light, which both get mentioned every time I drive pass either. So as a teen, let me give you a list of Dos and Don'ts as a parent when teaching a teen to drive. ...You have a right to be nervous, but don't show it. If you are feeling nervous, this will make the child more nervous. ...Act Relaxed, and allow some trust. If you show that you trust them, they won't stutter, and make simple mistakes. But, if you give them to much trust, they will feel over-confident, and be, uh, not so good. ...Take them out driving frequently! Yes, I know you hate the torture, but the more driving experience the child has, the better driver he/she will be. ...Don't make your child ask to take them driving. I hate to ask. It makes me feel better when someone asks me if I want to drive. This shows that you don't mind taking them driving, and they will be more comfortable during the ride. ...Test them. Ask them what a flashing yellow light is when you past by one. Ask them what different signs mean. Ask them the different speeds, and different devices in the car. ...Take them out often. You should be taking your child out at least 4 times a week. And no, a drive to the supermarket 5 minutes down the street doesn't count. If you can, take them for an hour, and take them different routes each time. ...Do plenty of Maneuvers. Ask the teen to pull down a side street, and have them show you different maneuvers. Driving on a busy street won't be enough. Have them back up along a curb. Make sure they can do a 3-point turn. Make sure they can parallel park along with slanted and regular parking. ...Vary. Not just you should teach the person out driving. They should be able to deal with all types of teachers and ways of driving. This will make them decide how they want to drive, and will be aware of different types of drivers. ...Have observers. I know sometimes having your best bud or little brother in the backseat can be distracting, but it will be just as distracting when the teen drives her friends to the mall, or hauls her little brother and his two best friends to soccer practice. They should know how to deal with distractions. ...Don't yell. Only yell when necessary. When you yell, you get the driver shook up and nervous. This will make them unable to concentrate a lot or at all. Yell when they are not paying attention or about to crash. But not stall to yell, yelling could save both of you. I know, I'm just a teen. I don't even have my license yet. But I do know how frustrating it is to pester my mom about driving more. I know how nervous she gets, and that makes me nervous. I know I'm not the best driver, but I'll get better. Hopefully I'll get better with a little experience, and a little more driving. Parents and teens, hang in there! It'll get better! Parents just think- now they can do your errands! I hope I helped! And if your wondering- I'm almost there, all I have to do is pay and wait for my certificate! Remember when you learned to drive?  |
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