this generation

I took on the task of teaching my grandson to drive. YIKES! he is not stupid, straight A student. But.........where is the common sense? Can't maintain a steady speed, he is always behind then car, instead of slowly giving it gas when approaching a hill, he waits until he has lost 20 MPH or more (speed limit 45) before he takes any action. Crests the hill, starts picking up speed, and doesn't let up until he's well over the speed limit, or I correct him. Drifts toward the boundaries of the lane, and then, at the last minute, jerks the wheel. No concept of where he is supposed to be on the road. Took a right from a traffic lane, but instead of turning into his lane, he cut diagonally across it, across a turn lane and into oncoming traffic lane!!! Thank fully, there was no oncoming traffic.

They just never got the hands-on skills. When we were kids, we rode bikes around the city dealing with traffic. I don't think some kids now days even know how to ride a bike. We had go-carts, minibikes and snowmobiles and learned throttle and brake control and how to anticipate a situation. We started driving small tractors and moving up to bigger ones. We would have to drive a pickup across the field or out to the field. Dad and Grandpa taught us these things, but it was under orders of higher powers, Mother and Grandma. When I took drivers ed in high school we had a 4-cylinder, stick shift car. the first day of driving me and another farm boy were paired up for behind the wheel. We started the first day driving around the parking lot, it was a pretty big lot you could make a loop around. When we finished our first day the teacher says to both of us, I can see you boys have driven vehicles. Next class we can go on the road. Some kids didn't get to leave the parking lot for 2 weeks. We got shorted driving time at the end of the semester because other kids needed more practice. Still flunked my first driving test because of a stupid nervous mistake.

Was Lapside driving Grandmother's 55 Bel Air at 9, was driving Field trucks at Greenville IL at 11 along with R model Deeres, been behind a wheel of some machine seemingly Forever and my skills show out.

I've been driving tractor since I was so small I had to slide down in the seat to push in the clutch. Staying on the rows to cultivate or just to cover a field with a disc taught me spacial conception. When I got to be 16 going for a drivers license was a piece of cake.

Edited by PaulB - 4 hours 32 minutes ago at 7:09pm

I have let my grandkids steer the Gator side by side since 5 or 6 years old. They stand between legs, I RUN THE GAS, and brake. they just steer.  They only got to do it were several months. The 3 oldest can now reach the pedals (the oldest just turned 14, how did that happen) . Grandpa has some control  issues but they know not to fast and we do Ok.

I took my driver's test in my pawpaw's 92 F250. It's what I'd been driving for the past couple of years so it just made sense. My girls have learned in an 03 Suzuki Carry mini truck driving around the farm. It's a little strange to learn in. It's right hand drive and a 5 speed. Pedals are in the right order but the shifter is on the driver's left. But at 13 and 10 they can both hop in it and go. I agree with Dave. It's fun to teach youngsters new things like driving. Quite rewarding when the "lightbulb turns on”