Johanna's G1

Motherhood is an adventure.

Yesterday I took the girls into town and Johanna wrote her G1 test for driving.

She passed.

And then she looked at me and asked, "Can I drive home?"

I've dealt with a lot over the years....these kids have had pinkeye, fevers of 104*F, pneumonia at 6 months old, chicken pox, strep throat.....puke....all kinds of puke....I've used my hands to catch puke before it hit the sheets.  And then the trips to emergency....googly eyes and beads stuck up noses....a gash in the forehead that needed to be glued....

BUT THIS DRIVING THING IS A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL OF CRAZY.

Now I have to sit in the passenger side and she gets to drive?  Seriously.

I couldn't say no....she wrote the test and passed....she legally can drive as long as I'm beside her.

Then she mentioned that she didn't really want to drive in town....and not on the highway...but she would drive on the back road.

So, I pulled over at the Admaston school and she got behind the wheel.

She had just pulled out onto the road and she was getting her bearings as to where the wheels were and we met our first car.....a cop.  He was coming along about three times faster than we were going.  I thought he would turn around and pull us over for going too slow....but luckily he didn't.

It wasn't until we really got going that I realized that she really had never driven before.  I don't know what I was thinking....she had driven the tractor many times and I thought she would just be able to do it....but a tractor and a van aren't really the same.

So I asked her if she knew how to signal....and she said no.

And then I asked her if she knew how to brake....and she said 'yeah...I think so'.

And then she mentioned that she really couldn't see out of that rear view mirror....and I insisted that she not take her hands off of the wheel....I would get the mirror in the right place for her.

I realized that I really should have gone over some of the basics before I just let her drive....but we were already driving and it was too late to think about that now.

The Stone Road is a very winding road....lots and lots of curves....but she managed.

And the shoulder was soft and snow covered....and I thought if we hit the shoulder...we will be gone.

Sophie and Lydia cheered her on....and had fits of giggling....the whole time.

We made it safely home.

But I know we are going to have to do it again.

And again.

Motherhood is the greatest adventure I've ever been on.

And I love it.

Brenda