Updates. Too good to wait for!

The Teen has had her learners permit for a couple of months now. Alright, so we've been somewhat slack and the timing never seems quite right. MOTH is too chikkin to take her out, I don't get home till almost dark and we've only just got around to purchasing the mandatory L plates.

She has done some time already. Apparently. A few minutes here and there, in a paddock, in someone's back yard, in a deserted shopping centre car park.

Yesterday I was home before dark o'clock. Time to bite the bullet.

I grabbed her from her room, telling her to put on shoes. But! My shoes are loose she says. Alright, this time. But you'll have to get used to wearing them.

You can reverse it out the driveway! she announces. Well, ok, fair enough.

And I did. Out of the garage and to the point where the back wheels were just on the road. Your turn I tell her. She freaks. And at the same time, she's excited. I think.

She dropped into the driver's seat and she tries to adjust the seat. We're on a slope so of course it slides backward. I get in trouble. *grin* She has a couple of goes, but gets it to where she wants it. Adjust the mirros. She doesn't know how.

The mirrors are adjusted, the seatbelt is on and she's ready to go. I'm telling her to lift her foot off the brake slowly and the car should start to roll a little. It doesn't move. Pfft! The handbrake is still on.

Lesson 1, take 2. She can't release the handbrake so I have to do it for her. Very slowly and gingerly, she lifts her foot and we're on our way! Brake again and change to Drive. Very good. She's not sure she can do this. She's getting worried as the car very slowly starts to crawl forward. I tell her that we're headed for the roundabout. She looks at me. What? How do I manage that? And what about the other cars??? If there are other cars, we stop then take our turn. If you're on the roundabout you have right of way so you can take as long as you like. She shoots me a sideways look. At 5 km an hour??

Just so you know, we live at the top end of a cul de sac. The road is windy and narrow. Heh.

She running a bit close to the gutters but I don't mind. They've very considerately built the ones that are slanted so you don't need to build a driveway entrance. People can see me! she's shouting at me. I'm smiling like a loon. It's ok, you'll be alright. There's a man going somewhere! she yells. She's getting into panic mode now. What do I do?! I tell her to brake if she's not certain. She does; the man gets into his vehicle and reverses it up his driveway. See, I say, nothing to worry about.

She calms a little and slowly takes her foot off the brake. We're travelling so slowly I think a snail passed us. She's worried again. What if a car comes? she asks several times. We'll deal with that when it happens.

A car comes down the road. I see it and let her know; I think she's too busy looking at the road where she's trying to steer the car.

She screams.

She's almost in full panic mode. The car passes and all is quiet again. A little further down the road and about 100m away are two more cars. She panics again. I tell her to pull over into the layby area if she wants. She does. She wants to quit and go home.

I'm mean. I tell her no. And that she'll have to get the car out of the spot she's parked in. She's not impressed with me.

The cars go by; one down our road past us, the other continues around the corner.

We make it the rest of the way to the roundabout. It's only just up the street, but it's been a bit of work. Brake here and check the road. She does. A lot. Then we move out into the roundabout. I thought she wasn't going to turn the wheel in time. And I grabbed the wheel to guide it a little quicker than she was doing. Don't panic Mum! she says. I laughed. So did she.

We managed the drive back at a faster speed than the drive out. And she stopped at the driveway and jumped out. You can put it in the garage she tells me.

So, first lesson all done and dusted. What a giggle. She laughs with me later when the euphoria kicks in.

Whew, I need a cigarette she smiles. And tomrrow, if I get home in time we'll do it again I tell her.

She wilts.