How To Make The Most Of Your Teenager Getting Their Driver’s License

When I turned 17, I got what is to this day my favorite gift ever: a car. Sure, it’s wasn’t a great car (same car my mom bought when I was a baby, so… a little rusty) but it was MINE and I loved it. My friends and I cruised around our small town blasting music and livin’ large.

Of course it also meant I had to run family errands, too. I used to roll my eyes at my mom when she sent me out for milk and bread, but I totally get it now. Now that my oldest is taking driving lessons, I am ready to stop doing all the driving. Like Katie on American Housewife (that show resonates, y’all), I plan to make the most of it. Here’s how.

Sports & Activities

One of my dearest friends is a proud swim team mom, so she spends half her time at the pool. While my kids don’t have quite that busy a schedule, there are soccer games and stage crew and choir practice. Once my kid is driving, though, she’s going to be doing a lot of chauffeuring herself—and her siblings. During the episode of American Housewife when Katie envisions the fun things she’ll do instead of driving all day, I was right there with her.

Errands

Scene: 5:30pm. Time to make dinner. But that meal plan I so carefully prepared? I totally forgot to include two things for the recipe on my grocery list. DOH! Normally I’d either run to the store or send my husband, which after a long day of work/life, kind of sucks. But now I can start cooking while she runs to the store for me. Bliss!

Pick Up Her Siblings

This is a big one! When Katie told Greg (her husband) about her big plan to have the teenager drive the kids to and from school, I was amazed. I honestly hadn’t even considered that as an option! Now I’m dreaming of a life outside of the pickup and drop off line daily. Talk about a stress reliever! Although, now I’ll be worried about a teenager driving all my children… gulp.

Working

You know what sucks? Having to stay up late to pick up my daughter from a babysitting gig. Or when she worked part-time in a local business, and I had to drive her there and back during rush hour. NOT FUN. I think it’s great for teenagers to have jobs, and I’ll be thrilled when she can get herself there without me.

Memories

Okay, this one isn’t a benefit for me, but it’s still important. Driving with a car full of friends, singing along at the top of our lungs to the radio was a great part of high school for me. I want my daughter to have that same kind of fun, and make those memories too. Best of all, she can do it while taking a load off her parents. Win, win!

See? There’s a lot to stress about when kids make that leap into driving a several ton vehicle through the streets full of idiot drivers (um, sorry, I digressed there). But there is also so much to be happy about too! If you need me, I’ll be taking a bath with a glass of wine (just like Katie on American Housewife dreams) while my kid drives herself around. Soon, anyway.

New episodes of American Housewife air Wednesdays 9:30|8:30c