Does anyone get through teaching kids to drive without stress and anxiety? Well, that has certainly not been my experience! I’ll admit it, I’m a little high strung and a bit of a control freak. Okay, well maybe not just a bit…but in today’s day and age, with the abundance of aggressive, high, distracted, and rushing drivers, being militant while teaching kids to drive seems not only inevitable but totally necessary.

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Gone are the days when we lived in neighborhoods and the distance we needed to travel and the types of roads we had to traverse were simple 35 mile-an-hour roads with a few stop lights and signs. Today, everything is more far flung, and it seems quickly we need to teach kids to navigate 65 miles per hour…and truth be told higher because 65 is a dangerously slow speed as cars practically crawl up your rear bumper! Then there are simple and complex merges, roundabouts, passing, road hazards and construction. And absurd behaviors.

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I’ve never seen so many erratic drivers in all my life as I have while teaching my kids to drive. Or were there always the same volume and intensity of erratic drivers but my perspective is different now that the most precious people in my life are behind the wheel? Perspective is a powerful tool. We get to choose: I can make myself sick with worry, or the anxiety I feel can be focused into quality teaching and defensive driving. I’m three down and one to go…wish me luck!