Teen Drivers

How often do we stress (and STRESS OUT) to our new teen drivers to follow the "rules of the road", pay attention, no texting, no talking on phone, turn the radio down, look both ways, no goofing off? Apparently, I forgot to tell mine not to race his friends on the freeway at high rates of speed!

Last Friday night after my shift at the rodeo was over, one of the nice police officers I've known and worked with for over eight years approached me to discuss Kyle. Now, everyone who knows and works with me is aware of the shenanigans that go on between all of us at work so when this officer began to tell me that he pulled Kyle and his best friend Anthony over one day for racing I thought he was joking! Nope! Not joking! He caught Kyle and Anthony speeding up LBJ, he clocked Kyle at 86 and Ant faster and yes they were in their respective vehicles. What the hell were they thinking? Oh, they weren't thinking and that's the problem with teens, especially boys, in large, powerful hunks of metal with engines! I'm certain the look on my face was priceless and as I stood there in total embarrassment I began to make jokes as if it wasn’t a serious matter because I was in shock and disbelief.

Kyle has always been so good and hasn't ever been punished. I guess I always thought when he did do something wrong it would be drinking or staying out too late! I found myself thinking if this had anything to do with my lack of parenting or the fact that I was challenged by him and his friends to race up an "on-ramp" one night after work and agreed while beating both of them in my SUV (some role-model) or that I just like to drive fast myself (I have slowed down in the past several years) or was it because John would take him out in his corvette and drive the country roads fast? How about, he just wasn't thinking about the consequences that can happen in a split second?

I mentioned the information I'd received from the officer to Kyle and he just blew it off with, "I didn't get a ticket". No and he didn't go to jail either only because this officer is kind and did ME a favor! Well, the next morning I got to tell John about the matter. After I calmed him down we began discussing what needed to be done to ensure Kyle learned his lesson because he didn't seem to GET IT when I talked to him. Much to Kyle's dismay, John took his car away from him and made him drive his truck. He didn't like that at all and that was the topic at the rodeo that day. Unbeknownst to me, John took Kyle for a little ride Sunday and had a chit-chat! I hate not knowing what was discussed but it certainly made a point!

I felt so bad for having to come down on him and embarrass him, but a good parent won't just slap their child’s hand and say don't get caught again, but will make them realize their are consequences and responsibilities to their actions and until they learn that they have no privileges! Those are earned!!

Oh and I won’t be racing him or his friends anymore unless it’s around a race track!!!!