Dear parents,
my parents are always complaining about
-how they have to drive me everywhere and never have time (they don’t want to take me to drivers ed)
-how i don’t have a job (they always take me to places late, even for school, you can’t be late for a job)
-i don’t help around (i could help if i drove)
-how i don’t always get rides from my friends (my friends always take me whenever they can!)
My friends always drive me around but it’s complicated because I was late once and got grounded, when I literally have no control.
I don’t know what to do to convince them to let me get my license, I graduate from high school this year and moving out of state seems impossible if I don’t know how to drive, it’s frustrating because even 13 year olds know how to drive! Please help!
Do you have a learner’s permit? I think that most states let you have a learner’s permit for as long as you need one and your parents’ car insurance will not go up while you have one (it will go up after you get your license though). You will still have to drive with them, but you’ll be on your way.
It may also be easier to take the driver’s license test where you go to college, when you’re ready.
“i don’t help around (i could help if i drove)”
There are all kinds of things you could do around your home to help out that don’t require a driver’s license or use of a vehicle. Try doing that consistently because a) it’s the right thing to do and b) it will help prove you a a mature, responsible young adult.
I have 5 children and one thing that my H and I insisted on was that they all learn to drive as soon as they were old enough. My feeling was that the more driving experience they had before age 18, the better. Driver’s ed can help your parents get a lower insurance rate and some companies offer even more of a discount if you get certain grades.
Have your parents given you any reasons why they don’t want you to drive? Not wanting to drive you to driver’s ed seems odd - how far away is it? Can you take a cab there or public transportation? If you are under 18, though, you need their permission to sign up. Make the argument that learning now will give you more practice time in case you have to drive in an emergency at college - for instance, my D’s friend once took ill, not ill enough for an ambulance, but ill enough to need the ER, so my D drove her car to the hospital with her in it. She couldn’t have done that without a license. Tell them that (at least in my state) if you are more than 100 miles away at college, they can take you off the insurance.
However, if they refuse, then you will have to wait until you are 18 and take driving lessons with a driving school. You won’t need your parents’ permission for a permit, but they might not let you practice on their cars. At least with a driving school, they will provide a car for the road test. One thing you need to think about is whether or not you can take the road test where you go to college (if it’s not in the state you live in).
I’d suggest you ask your folks when would be a good time to sit down and discuss getting a driver’s license. In the meantime, I’d suggest you do as much as you can around the house to take responsibility and show you are responsible enough to be trusted to learn to drive.
It would be good to do chores, clean up, pitch in to help regularly without being reminded, and doing your homework regularly as well as keeping promises you make to your folks and going to sleep at hours set.
You can also research driver’s ed programs at your school and community, costs, requirements, hours, etc and earn the money needed to take such courses.
Driving is a responsibility, not an automatic “right.”
@greenwitch no i don’t have a permit yet, but yeah i’ll look into it; thank you!
@doschicos they refer to things like going to the store, can’t really do that without drivng
@yikespa In my state you can google and find the driver’s handbook online. Study it. To get the learner’s you have to pass the written test. It’s harder than you would think.
I’m with @techmom99. I wanted my three kids to get their licenses as soon as possible so they would have lots of practice under our tutelage. All are now over 18 and so far there have been no accidents or tickets. They were required by the state to take drivers ed in school. The “behind the wheel” class, the last step before getting a license, was actually cheaper through a private instructor than through the school.
My older son never did learn to drive. He lives in California - he takes a shuttlebus to work and public transportation the rest of the time. He got a learner’s permit the summer before he started college, but then there never seemed to be time to take the test. Younger son did much the same thing, but did finally focus on getting licensed while he was living with us and between jobs. Here in NY the learner’s permit lasts five years.