I've mentioned my monumentally bad teenage driving before, but it bears repeating in the context of how it impacted my poor son, Frank, roughly 30 years later.
We should probably establish at the onset that I am also the world's meanest mother. Do not email me about this. I am fully aware it.
The Cleve J. Fredricksen Library in Camp Hill.
My truly lousy teenage driving came to screeching halt – little joke there – when I drove my stepfather's car over a neighbor's fence while my stepfather was giving me a driving lesson. The driver's education department at my high school had given up on me months before. My stepfather, ever hopeful, was trying one last time.
We considered the attempt unsuccessful. I rode the bus for the rest of high school.
My takeaway from this was: Should teenagers be permitted behind the wheel of a flying ton and a half of metal and inflammable gasoline? My internal answer to that question resulted in me attaching an extreme responsibility clause to Pennsylvania's license requirements when Frank wanted to start driving.
Extreme responsibility meaning: You might get your license after you're married and have successfully raised six children to become doctors, lawyers, priests or rabbis. Poor Frank, if he forgot to clear the table, I'd say with Oscar-worthy dismay something such as, "Well, if you can't remember to clear the table, how can I trust you to be responsible driving a car?"
My son, who is a sharp fellow, figured out about mid-way through being 16 that the license wasn't going to happen anytime soon. At 18, he looked at me one day and said, "I think we're done with this now, right?" I responded with a grumbled, "Fine," and took him for his driving test.
Seeing as we've established that I'm the meanest mother ever, it would stand to reason that you're a much nicer parent than I am and probably have every intention of allowing your child to drive before his or her 40th birthday. The Cleve J. Fredricksen Library in Camp Hill has a whole new resource to help.
The library has begun offering online practice tests for the Pennsylvania learner's permit through Driving-Tests.org to help your student study for the permit.
The practice tests are free and available to everyone.
Eleven practice tests for the permit test are there for the taking, as well as road sign tests, answers to frequently asked questions and driver's handbooks. Also offered are practice tests for the state motorcycle license test – I'm sure you can imagine what I think of motorcycles and safety – and the commercial license test.
After the first of the year, the library plans to offer permit prep-classes to students, which are expected to include information about driving safety and a pledge to be a safe, not-distracted driver – can you say teenagers and cell phones. The library's teen services coordinator, Christine Davies, also said they plan to add to the library's collection books about teen driving and navigating the world of teen mobility.
Davies said the practice test resource is a great way to get your child ready to take the permit test. She said parents could even use the practice tests as incentive for getting a learner's permit. Take all the tests, then we'll talk about your getting your permit.
I, of course, interpreted that as another avenue for license delay. Nice. If you'd like more ideas, let me know. I have a million of them.
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