Who's Driving Now?

Years ago we became a two-car family. Well, actually we had a good car and an old truck. The children loved the old truck because once in a while they got to ride in the back or were allowed to “help” drive it. Between a lawn tractor and the old truck, all three children learned to drive well at a fairly young age.

When our oldest came home from college one break, he informed his dad that the youngest son really needed someone to give him driving lessons: “He drives just like a little old lady!”

We thought the boy was doing pretty well. After his brother’s marriage ceremony, he had driven his old Mustang back from San Antonio to Arlington. We had taken the time to have a standing prayer before he headed back to Arlington, but we never expected to watch the answer to our prayers. Following him, we noticed what we considered pretty erratic driving. His brakes went out at the intersection of Little Road and Highway 287, and he managed to get the car pulled over and stopped without hitting anyone or anything. Thinking of that night still sends chills down my back.

The daughter learned to drive and even learned to change a tire in Driver’s Ed class. The day after graduation, she drove from Texas to Alabama. And no, we were not happy about that at all. But children grow up and do their own thing—just as we did before them.

After our daughter married, she said she thought we should take the dash out of her old car and frame it somehow. When her dad asked why, she said that it would always remind her of how Mom had left her finger prints on the dash and almost stomped out the floor boards trying to use the brakes on the passenger side of the car.

Today the oldest son took us to the local pizza place for dinner. I was telling him where to go when he reminded me that he had been driving now for 20 years. Sigh.

The next thing will be the grandchildren driving the “old folks” around town the way we used to take our grandparents and occasionally now our own parents. Oh, our turn is coming—unless we take up driving those scooter things or a golf cart. Come to think of it, we still have the lawn tractor and a trailer! Now if we can just find a dashboard and a brake pedal for the trailer . . .