Well I figured I'd post this here because I figure I won't be made fun of...as much as on other forums. Well the problem is that I'm 18 and I'm about to graduate next Friday, but I don't have a driver's license.
I've been pestering my parents for like a year about it. I got my learner's about 2 years ago and have driven very little. Most of my driving came last summer and the summer before and all I did was drive around the school parking lot for a little while.
Right now I still have very limited experience. The real problem is that now my mom's the only one working. My dad's unemployed because he quit his job and on top of that, his license is expired. To make matters worse, our van has been broken down since like November, so I haven't really been able to go anywhere. On top of it all, I have numerous expenses that need to be taken care of. I'm supposed to start college in the fall at VT and I have to figure out a way to get that money too.
Right now I'm even behind on my school fees, which if I don't pay before June 1, I don't graduate. My mom's next paycheck is on that date, so maybe I can convince the principal to let me slide.
As far as driving goes, my mom finally got around to getting me the in-car (behind the wheel) portion last week. It'll cost $235 though total which is significantly more than taking it in school. I think she misunderstood his job and thought that I was just getting driving lessons.
My dad got me a '88 Jeep Cherokee as payment for "something" someone owed him. It needs a little work, but it needs a license plate and a cieling cover. A new paint job wouldn't hurt it either.
Well, I had my first day of driving on Saturday which was a disaster. I started at a gas station and I was reaching around the steering wheel looking for the gear shift (because that's where it is on our van) and I couldn't find it. It was between the seats.
I felt like a moron when the teacher had to point that out.
I obviously started off terribly. To make it worse, my first driving came on the interstate. I had never gone over 35 mph before so I was in real bad shape. You couldn't imagine how hard I was gripping the steering wheel. I didn't even realize it either. When I took my hands off they were extremely sore and half numb.
Anyway, he had to tell me when to accelerate and slow down EVERY SINGLE TIME. He even had me trying to do a U-Turn! There's this one intersection too that had stop-lights but were blacked out that I slowed down at and he started yelling at me and grabbed the wheel. He had to grab the wheel like 2 or 3 times and he yelled at me a couple times too.
And to put the cherry on top of the diarrhea, there were two teenage girls in the car with me too.
Fortunately I didn't almost wreck or anything.
But I'll be honest, it was the most humiliating, embarrassing moment of my (short) life. I had never felt so inferior. When I got out I was so tense. I was tense for about 4.5 hours afterwards too. When I was done I was like "I could care less if I ever drive again." It was traumatizing.
But right now, I'm signed up to take my second lesson on Sunday. It was originally supposed to be last Sunday but I convinced my mom to move it. Right now she's cutting me no slack.
What I need help with is trying to think of a way I can get more practice before doing my second lesson. I can't think of anybody that could teach me. Most of the people that come to mind, me or my mom's already exhausted them getting them to run us around everywhere. Do you guys have any practical solutions to this problem? If possible, I'd like to just pay the school instead because it's only $80 total.
I'm pretty much refusing to embarrass myself again. It's almost like your very first football practice comes when you're a senior in HS. You've never played before. The only football you've been exposed to is two-hand touch, football you've watched, and Madden.
Kudos to everyone who bared with me through this long, boring post.
I've been pestering my parents for like a year about it. I got my learner's about 2 years ago and have driven very little. Most of my driving came last summer and the summer before and all I did was drive around the school parking lot for a little while.
Right now I still have very limited experience. The real problem is that now my mom's the only one working. My dad's unemployed because he quit his job and on top of that, his license is expired. To make matters worse, our van has been broken down since like November, so I haven't really been able to go anywhere. On top of it all, I have numerous expenses that need to be taken care of. I'm supposed to start college in the fall at VT and I have to figure out a way to get that money too.
Right now I'm even behind on my school fees, which if I don't pay before June 1, I don't graduate. My mom's next paycheck is on that date, so maybe I can convince the principal to let me slide.
As far as driving goes, my mom finally got around to getting me the in-car (behind the wheel) portion last week. It'll cost $235 though total which is significantly more than taking it in school. I think she misunderstood his job and thought that I was just getting driving lessons.
My dad got me a '88 Jeep Cherokee as payment for "something" someone owed him. It needs a little work, but it needs a license plate and a cieling cover. A new paint job wouldn't hurt it either.
Well, I had my first day of driving on Saturday which was a disaster. I started at a gas station and I was reaching around the steering wheel looking for the gear shift (because that's where it is on our van) and I couldn't find it. It was between the seats.
I felt like a moron when the teacher had to point that out.I obviously started off terribly. To make it worse, my first driving came on the interstate. I had never gone over 35 mph before so I was in real bad shape. You couldn't imagine how hard I was gripping the steering wheel. I didn't even realize it either. When I took my hands off they were extremely sore and half numb.
Anyway, he had to tell me when to accelerate and slow down EVERY SINGLE TIME. He even had me trying to do a U-Turn! There's this one intersection too that had stop-lights but were blacked out that I slowed down at and he started yelling at me and grabbed the wheel. He had to grab the wheel like 2 or 3 times and he yelled at me a couple times too.
And to put the cherry on top of the diarrhea, there were two teenage girls in the car with me too.
Fortunately I didn't almost wreck or anything.But I'll be honest, it was the most humiliating, embarrassing moment of my (short) life. I had never felt so inferior. When I got out I was so tense. I was tense for about 4.5 hours afterwards too. When I was done I was like "I could care less if I ever drive again." It was traumatizing.
But right now, I'm signed up to take my second lesson on Sunday. It was originally supposed to be last Sunday but I convinced my mom to move it. Right now she's cutting me no slack.
What I need help with is trying to think of a way I can get more practice before doing my second lesson. I can't think of anybody that could teach me. Most of the people that come to mind, me or my mom's already exhausted them getting them to run us around everywhere. Do you guys have any practical solutions to this problem? If possible, I'd like to just pay the school instead because it's only $80 total.
I'm pretty much refusing to embarrass myself again. It's almost like your very first football practice comes when you're a senior in HS. You've never played before. The only football you've been exposed to is two-hand touch, football you've watched, and Madden.
Kudos to everyone who bared with me through this long, boring post.
. I love driving (my one regret is that I didn't learn stick but I'm hoping I'll get it done this summer!) and it really is a lot of fun. If you're smart and relaxed, you'll love getting behind the wheel.
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