Taking dd to Drivers Ed today....

[ginnie5]

yep its that time for dd #2. Time to cough out several hundred bucks so she can get her license. We HS so we get to pay for all of it and it is required by law. So she gets to take an 8 hour class today, then 6 hours driving with an instructor, and then take the road test at DMV. She starts her first job 4/15. At the barn where she rides at. She is their very first employee. She be feeding, mucking stalls, leading rides, whatever. she's kinda excited and kinda nervous. I know she'll do fine today though. Heck she can handle my big van all through charlotte traffic. Course her getting her license is bad for me........it means I lose the truck! I hate that part. I've gotten to the point that I'd rather drive it than my van!

[almostthere]

My part of Indiana doesn't have driver's ed anymore. The schools are broke.

When I was in high school they told us if we didnt take it they wouldn't let us graduate.

SO my oldest nephew didn't get his liscence until after he graduated, and my almost 18 yr old neice still doesn't drive.

Private driving instruction around here is quite expensive and they are making a killing doing it.

I wonder how they will do if the powers that be ever give the schools the money to bring it back in.

[sewsilly]

Ginnie,

Is she your first to get a license?

I've been amazed and how much I LOVE having a kid that drives...

Mine go to public school, where drivers ed is available for a tiny fee (I think $20). However, I elect to do the driving school with them for a couple of reasons.
The drivers ed class is a HUGE waste of a 90 minute period. They have classroom instruction for 2 weeks, and drive maybe 6 times, and sit in the library or lobby the rest of the time. They can opt to be a 'teachers assistant' (sit in teachers room) for that time. Also, my two oldest have been able to take the class over the summer, thereby netting us a driving teen MONTHs earlier than if we waited for the class.

So, I forked over the $300, to a guy that I know and respect, who runs a private drivign school. I've been so happy with this option, I'll do it for the third and final time in a couple of years for the 'baby'.

Good luck with the driving and the job. (and start looking for another affordable vehicle, because that sharing with mom thing doesn't work for long).

[ginnie5]

well when oldest dd took it the schools were to the point that they only offered it to seniors. I've heard that they're not doing that now. so if you want your 15-16 yo to drive you pay for it. At 17 they can get a license without taking drivers ed though. Kinda makes taking it as a senior a moot thing. She starts her first job next month so she needs to drive. the company 1st dd took drivers ed with isn't around anymore. they watched Black Dog as part of their class time. While it was a good movie I was a little miffed at paying that much for her to watch a movie I could've rented for $5 or less!

[Wen]

In Michigan, the schools don't pay anything, they do let a private company use a class room though. Kids can't get a permit until they are 18 unless they take driver's ed.

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by almostthere

My part of Indiana doesn't have driver's ed anymore. The schools are broke.

When I was in high school they told us if we didnt take it they wouldn't let us graduate.

SO my oldest nephew didn't get his liscence until after he graduated, and my almost 18 yr old neice still doesn't drive.

Private driving instruction around here is quite expensive and they are making a killing doing it.

I wonder how they will do if the powers that be ever give the schools the money to bring it back in.

I didn't drive until after I was 18 and I didn't have a job either. I lived at home and all my needs were provided by my parents. I don't get kids who want to put up with all the stress and headaches of the working world *and* driving when they can just sit at home and be happy. Gosh, isn't working for 30 years of their life enough that they can't WAIT to do it before they even have to? Makes no sense.

I wouldn't pay for driver's ed. There is no requirement for it in Missouri. Around here, parents teach their kids and they also have graduated licenses so the kids can't drive by themselves for a while before getting their license.

donsgal

[ginnie5]

well we don't see teaching our kids to be responsible and able to take care of themselves an issue. We have taught them to drive but in SC drivers ed is a requirement unless they are 17 or over. DD gets to go to work doing something she loves with people she loves that love her. Where's the stress in that? I think the stress only comes in if you're doing something you're not happy with. It's not like she'll be working tons either....a few hours a week. She gets to learn how to take care of her money and how it feels to earn it. Oldest dd went to work at 16 and saved enough to buy her a car and still has $ in the bank. She is proud of that. I don't know many 18yo's who have the amount of money in the bank that she does that they earned themselves.

[Laura]

My daughter paid for driving school herself, I didn't mind that at all. It was the massive hours she had to drive with ME in the car before she could get her license that shook me to the core! I am not a good passenger anyway, but an inexperienced driver in a 5 gear standard shift with a sticky clutch, way way more than I could handle. From what DD says, driving with me in the car was just as traumatic for her as it was me.

I love that she has her license and DH gave her his car, although I would rather she had one of our doggy but safe Subaru wagons. I love that when I ask if she will go to town for me, she is so excited she forgets to ask for money to cover the purchases.

A neighbor girl who was in DD's driving class flipped her car one icey morning a ways down the road, driving way too fast. That's every mother's nightmare. Folks in my neighborhood assured me if they ever see my DD drive like some of these other kids, they will kick her butt then tell me so I can pull her license.