Driving me crazy

My 16 year old now has her driver's license, and so I enter a new era in my life.

It opens up a whole myriad of issues....My prayer life has become more active. I've always heard people say that, but now I know. I don't have the control anymore. I don't mean that she comes and goes as she likes, but when she is driving, I am no longer behind the wheel. Duh.

I am what a friend has referred to as a hover-mother. I am very particular about which teen drivers she is allowed to RIDE with. Now SHE is the teen driver.

Then there are the decisions that I have to make....Can she drive to church separately from me? Should I let her go to Walmart at noon or at 7:00 am when there is less traffic? Will I regret it if I let her run errands that are purely for my convenience? Should she drive in the rain? What if it is raining AND dark? If I call her to check up on her, she has to choose between answering the phone while driving (which is a no-no), or not answering in which case I will be frantic with worry. Every trip must have purpose; no aimless riding around.

Then there's the gas issue She got her license in April and really wanted to drive to school. I am a teacher at her school, and I think it is a waste of expensive gas to drive two vehicles to the same place. She had a hard time understanding this since "all her friends drive to school." Now that school is out, she babysits 3 days a week on the other side of town. Since she doesn't have her own car, she drives one of ours. We developed a system: on Sunday evening, we fill the tank. Then, after she has worked for three days, she fills the tank. That way, she is paying for her own gas and learning responsibility.

I realized that the lesson was learned when her sister suggested that she drive them to church on Wednesday night. "Are you kidding," she replied. "I'm not wasting my gas to go somewhere Mom is also going. We'll ride with her."

Point well taken.