25.11.20

Mason: Driver's Ed (sort of)

We did a thing a couple of months ago.  Everyone keeps asking me how the driving is going.  It's not.  It's just so complicated.  Here's where we are currently . . .

I signed Mason up for driver's ed in July.  The first available class was at the end of September.  He had to have 32 hours of classroom instruction and then 8 hours of driving time with an instructor.  But before you can take driver's ed, you have to have a TIP (Temporary Instructional Permit) card.  So I took him to the DMV (In Louisiana, it's the OMV.  But I've always been used to it as the DMV.) to get that.

Once you have your TIP card, you can take driver's ed.  You can't take driver's ed without the card, but nor can you drive with the card.  Once you complete driver's ed, you go back to the DMV, turn that card in and get your Learner's Permit.  Once he has that permit, he can drive with an adult in the vehicle.  After he has that permit for six months and is 16 years old, we will go back to the DMV again, turn that card in and get a provisional license (basically a driver's license with restrictions).  And THEN when he is 17 years old, we will go back to the DMV AGAIN (this is trip number four just in case you aren't counting) and get his permanent license (this is license number four just in case you aren't counting).  What a racket!  But anyway.  It is what it is.

TIP card in hand, Mason completed the classroom portion of driver's ed in September and passed the written exam.  The next step is the 8 hours of driving.  We were told when he took the class that they were at least two months behind in scheduling the driving times so we shouldn't expect to hear from them again for another couple of months.  It's been two months now, and I haven't heard anything yet so I guess I'm going to have to call them next week.

So, as of right now, he still has this useless TIP card, and we aren't exactly on the road yet.  But that's just fine with me.  I let him practice a few weeks ago just to see how he would do.  Let's just say my nerves can't take that anymore.  We're going to need A LOT of work.  I think this is one part of parenting I just won't be able to handle.