What a day

The womanchild got her graduated drivers license a few weeks ago, and I think I've been exceptionally generous about letting her use the car. She's also been exceptionally responsible about keeping the gas tank filled. Lurking in the back of my mind though has been the saying, "You pay for your raising." When I was a teenager, I borrowed my mother's week old car to go pick up a paycheck from work. I took the long way home, swerved to miss a dog and totalled her car. There was simply no passenger side left after the ditch, fence and tree had their way with me. Then there's my husband to account for as well. He had his first accident roughly two weeks after getting his license.

So, when the call came today, I can't say I was too surprised. It was a cell phone number I didn't recognize. "Mom, I was backing out of a parking space at Wal-Mart, and another lady was backing out, and the cars are stuck together." I found her father and off we headed to Wal-Mart. I don't know how I looked getting out of the truck, but the first thing the police officer said was, "Don't get mad. It wasn't her fault." She was backing out, and the car that hit her had tried to back out and then head out of the parking lane in the wrong direction. The cars weren't stuck, but my passenger side doors now have a bright blue tinted dent. The police officer thought our damage was about $200, and the other driver's would be about $600. My old Buick is sturdier than I thought. The bad news is that the other driver is uninsured.

C. was terribly shaken up and didn't want to drive home, but the police officer advised her that she ought to, just to get over the nerves. I seconded that. I didn't get to drive for months after my teenage wreck (the only one I've ever caused by the way), and I was scared silly my next time behind a wheel. She did just fine, but I could see her white knuckles the whole way home. So, our family passed another teenage milestone today, and it happened with minimal harm.

When she was younger, milestones were fun and exciting. Now they're either intimidating or scary. Detention and alternative school. Appearing in juvenile court as one victim of sexual assault (An academically gifted but high functioning autistic boy kept grabbing girls' behinds, despite clearly demonstrating an understanding of the impropriety and unwelcome nature of his behavior. It was later followed by rather creepy threats. The womanchild was one of several girls who filed complaints.) Dating. Older boys. Now driving and car accidents.

Counting in my head. We've got a year and a half before she's legally an adult. Three and a half years before she's out of her teens. It's too much to think about. Parenting is too hard if you try it for more than one day at a time.

teenagers