Teens content to stay in the passenger seat
Long, long ago
– well, 33 years ago, to be exact – I was a teenager. And
everyone I know that was my age wanted to get their drivers’
licenses.
Teens content to stay in the passenger seat
Long, long ago – well, 33 years ago, to be exact – I was a teenager. And everyone I know that was my age wanted to get their drivers’ licenses.
In fact, this was something you really didn’t have to explain or remark upon. Everyone took it for granted that they’d turn 16 and go down to the DMV and get a license. It was a given.
These days, that appears to have changed.
I have two sons who really haven’t cared that much about the whole driving thing. My older son didn’t get interested until about age 17, then decided to wait until he turned 18, so as to avoid all those annoying license restrictions that you get as a younger driver.
So he has been driving for over a year now, and now, of course, he loves it. But initially he was reluctant to get out there and do it.
And now I have a younger son who just turned 16 this past Sunday. And he shows absolutely no signs of wanting to get behind the wheel. Oh, the horror!
Ross at least wanted to go places and do things, and be with his friends. Which was an incentive for driving on his own.
Hunter, on the other hand, is entirely different.
He has friends, but is content to see them at school or talk to them online. He doesn’t have a great desire to be in the same room with them, unlike most teens, who seem to be joined at the hip to their buddies.
So – no need to be with people, no need to go anywhere. Hence, no motivation to get a driver’s license.
Plus, being the younger brother to an older brother who does have his license, he can simply call on Ross when he wants to go places – at least this summer while Ross is home from college.
I am trying not to care about this too much, but it does seem a little bit strange to me.
The funny thing is that this does appear to be a trend. More and more teenagers aren’t jumping to take the driving test on the day they turn 16.
More and more seem to be taking the same lackadaisical attitude of my son.
I realize this is based on my own limited scope and not a scientific survey, but among my kids’ friends, there are more than a few without driving skills.
One boy in particular, who graduated with Ross last year, is still without his license at age 19. He attends Monterey Peninsula College and his mother drives him there, which I find amazing.
Another, who is in Hunter’s class but has already been 16 for several months, just shrugged when I asked him about it. “I’m not ready yet,” he said.
Now I’ll grant you that maybe later driving isn’t such a bad thing. Statistics show that 16-year-olds are much more prone to accidents than 18-year-olds are. A little waiting might be a better idea as the teenage brain develops and matures.
And I guess, as much as I hate to admit it, that there isn’t an overriding need for my youngest to have his license. I’m not having to drive him much of anywhere as yet.
Someday soon, though, he won’t have his brother to rely on anymore. So then maybe there will be more of a compelling need.
I guess I can put up with not driving, as long as he’s not driving me crazy.
