Driving Miss Lori

On a good day I am a bundle of raw nerves wrapped in skin. I tend to over-react and become ridiculous at a moments notice. I also have wicked spacial issues. I don't like anyone standing in my space...let alone driving in it. Yesterday I let Jo drive home from Wal-Mart. She technically doesn't have her permit yet...but she does take that test on Tuesday. Drivers Ed. is so different here. Here the kids take a 2 week class (after school for 3 hours a day) and then take a test to receive their permit. Then they drive with their parents for 30 hours (10 of them being at night). During that time they are required to drive with an instructor 4 times during that 30 hours to make sure they are being properly trained. At the end of the 30 hours they take their final driving and written tests and, assuming they have passed, they receive a drivers license. So, as I was saying...I let Jo drive me home on Saturday. I guess the fact that she had never driven in town escaped my memory. All in all she did pretty good. But imagine me...trying so hard not to look or sound nervous....clinging to the seat while giving her instructions. "Ok, Jo, start braking. Good, a little more brake...please brake....oh........OK. That was good. Now turn here and try to get out of the turn lane and on to the other road quickly....quickly....oh.....please.....OK. Good." All the while her phone is buzzing as her friends are texting her. All I can think is that if she takes her hand off the wheel even for a second we are going to die. Luckily she ignored it the whole time. She was concentrating so hard on her driving that she forgot to breathe....hehehe. I asked her if she was OK. She said that she was, but there was just so much to keep track of. Staying in her lane (it is really the first and most important rule when driving with me), keeping track of her speed, dodging the flock of wild turkeys in the road (no joke...there was 7 of them) and braking in time to stop before the cross walks....and breathing....don't forget to breathe. It turned out to be a good learning experience for both of us. I am learning to stay calm with a teenage driver in the car and she is learning to breathe...and keep the car on the road.....while her nervous Mom sits beside her and tries not to grab for the chicken bar.