Don't freak out

Anna's driver's education class starts on Monday which meant that we were allowed to go pick up her learner's permit from the licensing department.  When we got home, it was almost time to go to dance class so I asked her if she wanted to drive.  She paused and then said, "Sure!" 

 I think both of our hearts were racing a bit when we got in the car, but after a bit of a false start as she pushed the gas pedal instead of the break pedal in backing up the car, she got her bearings.  After I had given her way too many pointers about what to do with cutting the wheel and which pedal to push, we paused before I let her drive out of the alley because I know that this approach of barking orders and tips the whole time would not work and would only stress her out.  I asked her what she wanted from me and what was helpful. Her big piece of advice to me was "Don't freak out."  So, I tried to do just that and pretend that it was completely normal that my daughter (who has only really driven in a parking lot a few times and who has driven up a hill in Anacortes) was driving us to Fremont for her dance class. I tried to pretend that I had done this a million times riding as the passenger as my baby girl took the wheel. 

She was calm under pressure and handled it like a pro.  The drive which normally takes us 10 minutes took us about double the time because we did not take any shortcuts, but when we got there, I am proud to say that I was not clinching the driver's side door and my foot did not need to be lodged out of the floormat.  

After driving back and forth from dance class, we gave each other feedback about what went well and what we could do differently.  We will both learn from our mistakes and try again today. 

The thing about this whole parenting thing is that we are all flying by the seat of our pants. 

All of our hearts are beating fast. 

But our kids don't always know we are feeling this way.  

They are feeling these things for the first time, but so are we.  

But what a ride, baby, what a ride! 

I would not trade it for anything. 

How did we go from here..................

to here????