Teaching a kid to drive?

Advice? Useful anecdotes or experiences? I’m open to all suggestions...

Have mom do it. Regardless if boy or girl.   Seriously.  

Hoser wrote

Have mom do it. Regardless if boy or girl.   Seriously.

Out of the question- that’s all I can say on the subject. This is all on Dad.

It was all on me too.

Start in a big empty parking lot. Gas, brakes, turn signals, looking over your shoulder, general awareness. Then look for a dead end road or backstreet and try to stay calm!

Short lessons at first.

It’s not teaching rocket science......but you wind up thinking “wasn’t I just wiping this human’s ass for them just a few years ago?”

I think it's important to learn the "only due one thing wrong rule" early. For example ---- if the trailer your towing isn't registered be sure your seat belt is on and you aren't drinking a beer.


Drivers Ed???

So far we’ve done a big empty parking lot for about a half hour. I even brought some orange cones from my soccer coaching days and set up a little slalom. Today we did about 45 minutes around the neighborhood, which was terrifying. Drivers ed. is in his future for sure, though the HS doesn’t offer it as part of the school day here.

campgottagopee wrote

I think it's important to learn the "only due one thing wrong rule" early. For example ---- if the trailer your towing isn't registered be sure your seat belt is on and you aren't drinking a beer.

Good tip

LOL --- I'm glad you appreciated the humor.

Brownski wrote

 . Today we did about 45 minutes around the neighborhood, which was terrifying.  

That made me laugh

I bet it's tough though ---- I learned to drive in a 45 Willy's plow truck while plowing snow for my dad ---- only thing I could hit was snowbanks so I guess he felt I was fairly safe.

Hmm, when I taught my nephew how to drive a manual transmission he had been driving for a few months.  Trick was to let him mess up enough to get a feel for what worked better.  Started in an empty parking lot.  He is the confident type.  We were in a pickup, which he hadn't driven before.  So it also took him a few turns to get a feel for it's turning radius.  His goal was to learn enough to drive his uncle's Porsche.  Quite an incentive. ;-)

Next experience was helping a friend who was the nervous type.  She grew up in China and came to the U.S. after college.  Had a learner's permit and drove with her husband a bit, but hadn't had enough practice because he was so busy during the week.  Plus he was in no hurry for her to be driving alone.  With her, I found it useful to do some driving with commentary.  Meaning I would tell her everything I was doing as I did it.  Such as, now braking, now coasting (no brake, no gas), now gas.  Had to think about all the things I do without thinking.

As we continued to practice, it was sometimes tough to sit and say nothing but that's what she needed.  I learned that when she failed the driver's test the first time I took her to take it.  Apparently right after leaving the parking lot, the examiner said "turn left" and she did . . . without even trying to look . . . in front of an on-coming car.  They were back in the office immediately.  I realized that probably what she'd been doing with her husband was simply following instructions and he told her everything to do.

Make sure you teach them how to drive a stick.

I’ve taught a lot of kids to drive and I taught my wife to drive a standard back on the 70s. Start with a big parking lot. Let the drive around a bit then get out of the car and let them figure it out on thier own (in the parking lot). I would sit on the curb and watch them go round n round tell they got tired. Eventually they get the hang of it and there is no yelling.

I’m still a year away from this but my son has been driving a golf cart for about 5 years which is great practice and 8 can tell he is getting much better.

Brownski wrote

So far we’ve done a big empty parking lot for about a half hour. I even brought some orange cones from my soccer coaching days and set up a little slalom. Today we did about 45 minutes around the neighborhood, which was terrifying. Drivers ed. is in his future for sure, though the HS doesn’t offer it as part of the school day here.

I made the mistake of taking Driver's Ed during the school day.  No problem for the classroom stuff.  But it took a long time to get in the driving and observation hours.  The teacher took the oldest students first, which made sense.  But meant I got my license several months later than if I'd taken Driver's Ed after school or during the summer before my junior year.

Dealing with parking has been the hardest part for my daughter.  Not only parallel parking, even parking in marked lots.  That was the hardest for my friend too.  Of course, not needed for the driving test so not that big a deal.  In NC, parallel parking isn't required either.  My daughter had to learn for Driver's Ed since her school is in the Boston metro area.

At work I'm teaching a kid from Kenya..She drove a little in Nairobi ..They drive on the "wrong side"..I keep having to grab the the wheel..But it's kind of fun..

As far as teaching your own...no f'n way..signed them up for some lessons and they took drivers ed..money well spent

campgottagopee wrote

I think it's important to learn the "only due one thing wrong rule" early. For example ---- if the trailer your towing isn't registered be sure your seat belt is on and you aren't drinking a beer.

This is really sticking in my brain. The more I think about it, the more brilliant it seems. I think this will be commandment #1 when I start my cult

Brownski has my vote for cult leader. Great choice.

Start 'em young.

Harvey wrote

Brownski has my vote for cult leader. Great choice.

LMAO!!

Browski? What do you want to call your cult? How does one become a member?

That's great!

LOVE limiting the revs that is hilarious. And good.

Looks like a Toyota dash....