Is it just me, or are kids less likely to push for these things like we did as kids? Seems like there's less of a rush to drive now. When I was a kid everyone wanted their license on their 16th birthday...and expected the use of a car sometimes. This didn't fly at our house....my dad was hard core. If you wanted a car, or even a license....you had to work for it and pay for it yourself. Even just a license....you were expected to pay the bump in his insurance for having you on the policy. He also wanted 25% of your wages for room and board. "If you're old enough to work, you're old enough to contribute." Seriously...the man got rent when we were 16! LOL. Tough old potato! Elle's 18 and JUST got her license. She was in no hurry to have it. I expected her to want my car....just to do a victory lap and go someplace by herself. Nope, not interested. She informed me that attitudes about cars and driving have changed and that she's not even thinking about owning a car until after college. (which is probably just as well, because U of M has amazing public transportation, and undergrads are not allowed to have cars on campus) What's with these kids today? Anyone else have a reluctant driver?
Emily didn't want to sign up for driver's ed. She finally took it and when she was one week away from her 15th birthday, our older daughter and our son in law bought her a brand new car! Now she is 16 and still driving on a permit. Her new car is a year old and has less than 500 miles on it! When I turned 16 I was driving every chance I got! Times really have changed.
I am sure the changes in Driver's Ed has something to do with it, at least in California. Insurance rates are also different than they were 18 years ago. My daughter will be 17 in December. We are starting the process, but we had to jump through hoops until HSLA helped us out.
Wow! New car, even! Man, I was driving EVERYWHERE I could as a teen. I'd cash in returnable bottles to buy gas, just to get out to Lake Michigan or go someplace with friends. I loved driving places. Elle can pretty much take it or leave it. Kinda makes me scratch my head! LOL.
My daughter did not want her license. I had to force it. I have asked friends and I am hearing that a lot from them about their kids too, particularly daughters really.
Faythe is 18, and not driving yet. It's driving ME crazy, because another driver in the house would be a BIG help!
Bingo, Jackie! Would be a real help for me...if Elle would drive herself places and get confident enough to help with her grandma as well. She's still quite reluctant. Her friends are, too! Just seems so odd to me.
I could not wait to drive when I turned 16! My twins, not so much! They are 15 now and ds has just received his permit but we can hardly get him to drive. His twin sister has no interest yet! I guess the incentive as homeschool kids is not as great. We always go places together. I wanted to drive to school because I hated riding the bus.
I considered the home school idea, but Elle's public school friends are the same way. Not nearly as much interest in driving. School parking lots have some student cars...but not like when I was a kid. I think it's generational?
My DD didn't drive until she was graduating college because she never needed to. She went to a residential giftie high school and they weren't allowed. Then she went to college and if she really needed to go someplace, a friend was going too and had a car. She had to have id, though, so she got her license - just never drove. When she graduated and got a job, she needed a car. She had some money left from college so she borrowed the rest from her grandfather and got a car. DS didn't drive until he was 18 and got his license - le$$ insurance that way. I bought his first car because he needed it to go to college.
I've noticed this too and I think I know why it seems to be the case. The world is smaller now. When we were kids you could stay home and watch one of a few tv channels, read a boos, or sleep. These days kids have computers, ipads, digital cameras, all sorts of software ect that keeps them entertained. We were bored- they aren't.
I think there's a definite element of that. Elle will arrange a time with friends and they'll all strap on headsets and talk and laugh and play games together on their game systems....all at their own houses. It's weird...but Elle says it satisfies the need to hang out...and it's nice because they can bring in other friends, share things they're interested in, watch stuff together online, it's a very different way to socialize. But to them...it's standard operating procedure. The times they are a-changing, folks. Guess it saves on gas money? LOL.
