For those of you unaware, Jordan now has her drivers permit. I know it is a shocker that my baby girl now has the legal right to drive down the highway with my constant instruction and observant eyes on everything that she does.
So far it has been a good, although at times a nerve racking experience. The day that we got her permit I handed her the keys and she was confident that she would wreck the car on the way out of the parking spot at DMV. I assured her that she could do it, even if I wasn’t sure that I believed myself. Up to this point I had only allowed her to drive in our neighborhood. This was a whole new world driving down the 4 lane road with my inexperienced 15 year old.
Jordan is sadly demonstrating some of my driving habits. I am what you might call an “aggressive” driver. I am also vocal with all of the cars that I travel along with. Lots of “what are you thinking!”, “this is my lane why are you driving so slowly in it!”, “seriously, you are going to pull out in front of me?!” I know that I am probably in need of some kind of road rage support group, but in my defense I haven’t had a speeding ticket since 2 weeks before my 18th birthday, nor an accident since I was 19 (wasn’t my fault). So for the last 20+ years I have been a cautious, safe, albeit loud driver.
I have been talking to Jordan for a long time about being aware of what is around you at all times, and the importance of using your rear view mirror as much as you look out your windshield. I am hoping to instill in her the need to be looking ahead of where you are and trying to anticipate other drivers intentions.
Well, Thursday evening she wanted to go to Young Life so I handed her the keys and we headed out the door to drive after dark for the first time. She did great, although her main concern was whether she could hear her music or not, and that I talk to much to her about what she is doing. We picked up a van full of kids and then headed to the church. Jordan realized that she was going to have to drive into the parking lot in front of a ton of students from the high school and she started to beg me to drive into the parking lot for her. I told her no that she had to learn at some point, just to take her time.
As we arrived there were a ton of kids standing in the parking lot, so I told her to stop and wait for them to move. She however decided to “go around” them and as she did I knew what was coming and I yelled to stop. Too late…she hit the landscape pilings that stood 2 feet high and drug the entire passenger side of my car along the piling! Yep, in front of all of the students and in front of a car full kids. Needless to say the kids in the parking lot yelled out a collective, “OOOOHHH!” I know that she was dying of embarrassment, but I was really ticked off!
I didn’t do much but to walk straight into the church and kept my mouth shut. When the meeting was over she informs me that “the scratch wipes off with spit”. I told her that it was more than a scratch, that there was a dent the length of the side of the car. Not only did she catch the passenger door, but she drug my poor car all the way down to the rim of the back tire!
When I got home and told John, he of course got out the flashlight and went right out to examine the damage. He told me that he thought that it would be about a $1000 to repair. So we asked Jordan what she thought the repairs would cost. She said, “I think it will cost $200.”
On Friday we took my precious mini van to the body repair shop and were given an estimate of $1,728.76! Yep, Jordan was way off. Needless to say we won’t be turning in the repair to the insurance company, I don’t want to pay more than I already do. I can’t afford to pay it out of pocket, so I guess my van will have to stay this way. The only good thing going for me is that my brother is a body-man and can fix my van when I can make the time to go to Delaware and stay for at least a week.
We told Jordan in hopes of helping her to understand the magnitude of her responsiblity when she gets behind the wheel of the car. We also told her that this was her “freeby”. The next car damage will come out of her pocket. What a hard, expensive, lesson for her to learn and for us to bear. Dang, I love my van too!
