My Daughter's Quinceanera---Looking Back

Now that my daughter has an official driver's permit and is learning the ins and outs of driving in the real world, I have stopped to ponder back at some of her growing up moments. Looking back at her quinceanera last year, I have to say that I am so glad that I did that for her. It's a very special moment in a girl's life and she will have that memory with her forever. My daughter is not one who has to have the designer jeans or the expensive shoes....she's just about a teen, living in the real world, understanding that parents just cannot afford all those expensive things in life all the time. She does have her preferences about her clothing, though, so I will give her that. She is a pure and natural beauty. I am glad that her quinceanera gave her a celebration with her friends and family, enjoying the glamour of wearing a crown and a beautiful gown, high heels and being the center of attention. Just make sure that if you give your daughter one, you get some good pictures and video, that will last a lifetime. My how my teen is really growing up fast.

What Do You Think About The Parent-Taught Driver's Ed?

Since I started the parent taught drivers ed course, I have run across many people who really like the idea of it. Several other women have told me that they felt that their teens learned more during their sessions and felt that many driver's ed courses that are taught in public do not offer as much. I have been through driver's ed, although it was a very long time ago, but during the school year. I felt as though I learned alot, book-wise. I don't know if they offer as much time behind the wheel, and that is where it really counts alot. We want our teens to be good, defensive drivers. We want them to know how to manuever that car on the roads effectively. I know that sometimes it does scare me to see my youngest child driving but it's just life.....it has to happen. What do you think about driver's ed classes?

About The Parent Taught Driver's Ed Course

After recieving my packet in the mail, I opened it up to find alot of papers stapled together. It included all the things that we will need to get her driver's permit as well as after finishing the course and having held her driver's permit for 6 months, the provisional license as well. I took the stapled pack of paper and read through it so that I could try and understand what to do next. It does not contain the lessons or how to teach. It does, however, give you a listing of all the courses that you can opt to do, instead of the course 101 that they offer for free. I am choosing the free course because some of the other courses are ones that you must pay for through a third party and some of them are hundreds of dollars....if I wanted to pay that much, I would have enrolled her in our local driver's ed. I got online and am finally making heads and tails of the whole thing. It basically offers classes in what is called modules and they break it down into seperate learning lessons. I printed off tons of papers to help get us started. I also want to say here that you have to keep track of the hours and days that you sit down and teach. It cannot be more than 2 hours a day, but after those first 6 hours, you can sign an affidavidt and with the proper paperwork, along with a v.o.e. from school, they can obtain their driver's permit.
Wish me luck, it's alot of paperwork.....but she is willing and happy about the learning experience, as we have already started the lessons.

What Are Teens Really Interested In?

Do you know your teen very well? Do you know what kind of person that he/she will be when they grow up and enter into adulthood? Right now is a very impressionable time in their lives and they are still watching us, just like they did when they were babies. I have discovered that even though they are still maturing, they still offer a pretty good topic of conversation, along with the silly stuff as well. My daughter has already decided what she wants in life, and is gearing her goals toward that. Every child is different and I am finding out so much as I get older. My teen seems to be interested in what's happening in today's world.....as well as what goes on at school and her friends, but she seems to know quite alot about many things. I remember when I was her age, I wasn't worried about what was going on with the world as much, just about myself. Have you held a decent conversation with your teen lately? If not, you might want to start by talking about small topics, allowing them to express their opinions without any arguments. If so, isn't it nice to see what they have to say?

Ok, The Driver's Papers Are Filed and Waiting....

Thankyou all for wishing good luck with my daughter's driver's ed course. She is getting very excited about it. Luckily, she is my only child out of 5 who will actually listen. Maybe it's just a stroke of luck. I filled out that simple form, sent in my $20 and it should be back on it's way soon. Then the chore will begin. Here are a few other things that I am going to teach her along with the driver's ed, which is very important for me.
1. Never talk on the cell phone while driving. That means no texting either. Pull over somewhere if it's important.
2. Never get so close behind another car that you cannot see the back tires on the road. This at least gives you a little room in case someone rear ends you... you don't want to hit the car in front of you.
3. know how to follow rules of putting gas in the tank, that means locking your doors while outside the vehicle, no cell phone talking, paying attention to what you are doing, and your surroundings.
4. always keep a couple of extra bucks in your car in case of an emergency. That means trying to fill up before the car is completely empty.
5. Always watch out for the other guy!

Teen Drivers Ed

Am I brave or what? I checked around to all our local drivers ed locations and it is a whopping $375 cash, or $400 if paid in payments. Wow ! That is alot of money for me these days and since I had put all my other 4 in drivers ed, it was a given with my youngest. I just couldn't believe the prices and how they had jumped so much. Actually, where my oldest daughter lives (many hours north), the price is much more reasonable, but it's also in another state so that wasn't going to work either. With my teen, I have had the very good fortune of her doing well in school, listening to what I have to say and I found it quite beneficial to call around and find out about the parent-taught drivers ed, and just thinking about it sounded like alot of work, but it was only $20. I filled out the application that I found online, printed it out and sent in my check....now I have to wait for the packet to come back. I am hoping and praying that this will be something that isn't too difficult because I know that there are many lesson plans in the packet. Well, wish me luck. Oh, and by the way, I did call my insurance agent and discussed with her the amount of insurance that will raise with my daughter.....she said that while she is on a permit, she is under my insurance but after that, once proving that she's a "B" average student and taking a little test for the insurance, our insurance will be less than $65 a month....I was so happy about that.

Can Teens Cook?

Does your teen cook? I don't mean toast, now. I am talking about being able to cook something beyond putting it into the microwave and waiting for the beep sound. Yes, most teens do that frequently, I know that my daughter does, but have you spent any time with your teen showing them how to make something to eat in the kitchen besides a microwave dinner? Where do you start, you might be asking....well, start with the simple. Knowing how to make eggs for breakfast, oatmeal and something for mornings is a good start. Take time to let them actually do some of the cooking with your help. I have taught my daughter how to get online to find a recipe and search through the cupboards to see if we have the right ingredients and bake a cake, all from scratch....and yes, they turn out delicious. I have tried to show her little tricks about using the spray pam to keep food from sticking, and also something as important as how to read the directions on the back of the box. My daughter enjoys cooking, even it it's just a hamburger helper night, she has also learned how to cook the meat and drain it, and follow the directions. It takes time but it's well worth it so they learn how to cook, especially in times when you can't.