My baby girl just turned 16 and now she’s driving. While I thought I would be super happy — because I was so tired of being her unpaid “Uber” driver — I am really not. I am actually sad and (as expected) kind of worried {a lot}.
Let’s talk about the positives first.
Ever since Nina got her permit, having her drive has been sort of liberating. After we got over the initial shock (and partial whiplash) of her learning the nuances of driving with one foot – It was actually nice having her in the driver’s seat. I could be distracted and use my phone while giving her tips, advice, and directions. As a business owner — I use my phone all the time and with her doing the driving I was able to respond to work-related stuff without being unsafe.
With her driving on her own now, I feel confident that she really is a well-prepared driver. I can proudly admit that I totally posted [on Facebook] her driving off to school with her brother. This was a daily chore I absolutely hated – especially when one of them had morning practice.
I am also not ashamed to admit that we totally “use” her to run quick errands — like a good run to grab food when we are too lazy to cook (or forgot to get groceries… it happens).
Now, the negatives
Nina is my firstborn child and this was all new to me (even though I have two older step-daughters, they did not live in the same state when they started driving). The excitement of having her drive and be independent was short-lived. I now feel unneeded. I know that might sound weird or selfish — but I have always been there for them for practically every practice, game, event, competition, award ceremony, etc. You name it and I drove there and witnessed it.
But that’s all changing this year, she is taking herself to practice, taking herself to the mall, or taking herself to a soccer game to watch her friends play. I am proud of her but a little tiny part of my heart senses that my time with her is dwindling. She will be graduating in two short years, then college, getting her own place.. you know that drill. I know the drill. Heck, I did it myself to my parents. I moved to a completely different state for a career and I never went back home.
I know it hurts my parents that I am not around very much and I guess I am worried that might be the case with Nina when she grows up and has her own life and family.
I use an app on my phone to track her location and her speed while driving. But that doesn’t help me with my fears of her getting into an accident. Like I stated before, she really is a good driver for her age — but if you have driven anywhere in the Corpus Christi area — you know there are some super bad drivers. There is always the issue of distractions. You have construction, the radio, the phone, OH did I mention the phone? The good news is that the state of Texas really does a good job of forcing teenagers to watch and respond to various videos and scenarios of distracted driving and the horrible results that can happen. I can only pray that she continues to use what she was taught in her online classes [as well as what we constantly talk about].
I am sure I am not the only one with these roller coasters of feelings. I’d like to tell you that it gets easier with time and all that cool stuff – but she’s only been driving for a few months – so my emotions are pretty raw. As a matter of fact, I was completely crying as I wrote this piece. What I can share with you — is that my older daughters (27 and 25) are both responsible adults and both are (as expected) driving. I do not worry about them driving now – but as a mom, I will always worry about them in general. It’s who I am (who we are) and I guess you could say “that’s life”.
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 kind of worried {a lot}.){kind=link}