Is your 16 17 year old child driving?

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children

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amother

Fri, Oct 15 2021, 6:02 pm

Ds got his license. He wants to drive our car. I don’t see other children driving. Wwyd

BrisketBoss

Fri, Oct 15 2021, 6:09 pm

What's the point of having a license if he doesn't use it? He could lose those skills.

amother

Steel

Fri, Oct 15 2021, 6:14 pm

With any luck, yes - 16yo DD has a road test on Thursday!

amother

Fri, Oct 15 2021, 6:25 pm

I’m really scared.

amother

DarkViolet

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 12:25 pm

Yes, my 3rd child is driving now and they all got their licenses at 16 or 17. But I have to drive with them here in Israel for a few months. At first it is g-d awful scary and I feel I have to constantly warn them about the cars around them and the curbs they are veering towards. And then b"h they start driving well and I relax a bit more. Ironically, I am less worried when they drive alone (when they can) than when I am in the car with them. But I am very proud of them too for gaining this important skill on their way towards independence.

tree of life

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 4:27 pm

amother [ DarkViolet ] wrote:

Hi I live in fir driving instructor fir my daughter 16
In Israel who did your child learn with please give me the number thanks

watergirl

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 7:21 pm

Is he on your insurance plan? Don’t let him drive until he is!

amother

Brickred

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 7:27 pm

my three children drove the car when they were `17 they took many lessons and my husband taught them
my husband taught my son to drive on the highway
I could have drove at age 16 but I strarted to drive when I was 28 after a few lessons I never liked driving on the highway
I passed my test on the 2nd try

amother

Hosta

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 7:31 pm

Not yet. My 17-year-old just got her permit.

amother

Milk

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 7:36 pm

I got my permit at 15 and started driving all the time. I think it would be a disservice to him to not allow him to drive, how else will he learn/get used to it?

Anyone I know who waits or barely drives has so much anxiety around it and can never drive normally or well. They always just rely on someone else to do it for them

amother

Bluebonnet

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 7:48 pm

You don't just hand him the car keys. You let him drive with an adult in the car. Start with local, easier driving and work up to highways. Give him lots and lots of practice. Then start asking him to run minor errands on his own. Give him rules that he has to follow or he'll lose driving privileges. Do not allow him to drive children or friends until he is a more confident driver and you won't worry so much about distraction. It's a difficult transition but it's a really important step towards his independence.

I passed my road test the week before I left for seminary in Israel so I had no practice driving on my own. When I came back from Israel the next summer, my job required me to drive there or get rides every day. My parents were able to lend me a car most days but they didn't trust me to drive it yet because I hadn't driven in a year and was rusty. For a whole week, my father had me drive to work with him in the passenger seat and then he'd drive home and come back for me at the end of the day so I could drive us home again. The next week, I was allowed to drive myself but my father followed me in my mom's car to make sure I did ok and after that they trusted me to drive on my own.

amother

Dustypink

Sat, Oct 16 2021, 8:25 pm

I don't plan on letting my kids get their permit until they are 18. I wouldn't let them get their permit before I was ready for them to drive, and for me 18 is a good cutoff.

(However, my oldest is 16 and not itching to drive yet, so I may yet eat my words Smile

)

singsong

Tue, Nov 02 2021, 2:30 pm

My kids drive my car all the time - I actually taught them all to drive. It's a huge relief to have them do my errands and chauffeur the younger kids to their friends and Sunday programs so I don't have to.

You're probably not noticing the other drivers ages - some kids, boys especially, can look way older than they are size-wise. I have a 6 foot tall 15 year old that can easily pass for an adult.

Chayalle

Tue, Nov 02 2021, 2:38 pm

My girls got their permits/licenses at 17. At first they drove with me or DH, till we were comfortable with their readiness to drive on their own. (license does not necessarily equal ready. I can tell you that one child failed her test twice, and was more cautious and a better driver, than her sister who breezed thru it. Sometimes it's pure luck, or about getting a more lenient tester....)

After that it got so convenient to have them do errands...I have never looked back Smile

mha3484

Tue, Nov 02 2021, 3:03 pm

I would get my boys their license as early as possible so they can practice practice before dating/getting married/having kids. I feel like they have much less free time then girls so if I want them to be confident drivers when they are adults they have to start younger. I was a very experienced driver when I had my first kid and I remember being terrified the first time I drove my oldest alone. I have friends that learned to drive once they already had kids and to me that is nerve racking and I dont want that for my own children.

amother

Eggplant

Tue, Nov 02 2021, 3:41 pm

My 16 year old son is scheduled for his permit test at the end of the month. He will be on track to get his license at 17. All of the kids here boys and girls start to drive as soon as they can.

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Nov 02 2021, 4:47 pm

Mine is not and we haven't pushed him to. He isn't home for any long stretches of time and doesn't feel a need to start driving yet.
My next son wants to get his permit this summer, not sure I'll really be ok with that and I'm not even sure of his summer plans yet to know if it's feasible.

I'm assuming when my daughter is old enough, that will happen quicker because iyh she'll be local.