I am proud of all of my kids.
My bride and I have five children, two girls and three boys. The girls have been driving for a while now.
Today my two oldest boys started behind the wheel. That long dreaded day for any parent, and long dreamed of day for the teen.
The oldest has had to fight for everything he has. He struggled to eat as an infant because of a cleft palette. He struggled to walk. He struggled to talk. He struggles to learn things that come so much easier to his peers.
Today, he told me that he is nervous about driving.
My instructions to both boys, since they are partners this week in Behind the Wheel, was that they needed to be considerate of each others skills. They need to remember that they both have strengths and weaknesses. And that they should be complementary, rather than negative in their observations of each others driving abilities. No one masters driving the first day.
Knowing his brother, he memorized the instruction manual from the state already and is ensuring that everyone in the car is following the letter of the law verbatim.
I remember my first driving experiment. Dad let us drive his AMC Hornet. The next vehicle I drove was a 2 and half ton grain truck. Nothing like trial by fire. I think that times were simpler then.
Honestly, I couldn’t be prouder of any of my kids. They continue to amaze me with their intellect and abilities. Their dreams, and wishes.
