Driven Parenting

I put my life (and our one vehicle) in the life of another a few weeks ago. Normally control of the vehicle is mine. Normally, responsibility is mine. These are new days.

Did they revoke my license? Am I no longer capable to drive? No I am fine, thanks for asking. My children are just growing up, and it's time for them to learn that responsibility.

So, my oldest son has gone through a formal driver training class at a cost of several hundred dollars. Let's see did I install that donate to this blog button here yet. Actually he paid for half of it. Real ambition is willing to sacrifice, that lesson was apparently learned. Now it's time to hit the road.

Lots of the time I am too intense with his mistakes and I overdo it verbally to make points stick with him, but with the driving I wanted him to know that I am thoroughly confident in his abilities. He says I am doing pretty good in the patient department. I think I am too.

I am learning from this that he is more responsible and able than I thought. There is great insight in the actual exercise of patience. You can pray for God to give you patience, hoping that He will instantaneously grant it to you. I'll bet that you find that what He'll do is give you a chance to exercise it instead. The lesson seems to stick better.

One last thought. Here on Prince Edward Island, most of the side roads do not have a shoulder, so I find my self reminding my son to "stay on the pavement." Parenting is like guiding a beginning driver down the road. It's easy to swerve a little here and there. The conditions of life will send us one way or another challenging the boundaries of our lane. If life has a lane (or lanes), it must be good to stay in those lanes to get you to your destination safely. That sounds like we need a little focus in our process, doesn't it?

Where will your family, your kids, you be in ten years? You'll only get there safely if you stay on the pavement.