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… passed their driving tests. Youngest one (17 at the time) last year and eldest (20) a year later. I sold our MX5 (sob) so they could have a car between them. Youngest is now at Uni, eldest will now be driving to work every day.
The whole ‘taking your kids somewhere’ or ‘fetching them when you’re rather be having a beer’ is so ingrained, it’s going to be really strange not having to worry about it. For some reason tho I feel a bit sad.
Anyway I’ve cheered myself up by pinning a sign to his bedroom door ‘pub insertion and retrieval operative sleeps in here’.
They both passed first time. My wife passed second. I passed third. There were extenuating circumstances. I was a rubbish driver 😉
So anyway just me lamenting them getting fully independent. Or should I just be toasting the whole event knowing I won’t have to drive later 😉
My eldest is saving up for he first car she starts lessons in April.
Yes I tried that approach. Both claimed poverty. I probably should have been a bit firmer. Especially considering what a life affirming experience fixing my first car by the side of the road was. In fact many life affirming experiences if I remember rightly.
£295 it cost me. And £295 of WD40 🙂
Daughter passed 3 weeks ago. It's a revelation especially when she was at work on a saturday and plays netball 3 times a week. We were constantly on taxi duty. However mrsws had to be picked up from work by me yesterday as the daughter was out in the car 😳
I don’t think my better half is going to miss the ‘clock watching’ of dropping him off and fetching him from work. Or Karate twice a week. Also at 20, the insurance was on the right side of eye watering. When we insured our 17 year old I needed a lie down with a large glass of gin!
The issue it’s raised is my daughter now whatsapp’ing him with ‘don’t you ruin that car, I love that car, if you dent it, you’re dead’. Which is the kind of sibling love we’ve come to expect 😉
I'd probably just warn Twitter. In ways that only social media can this has popped up in both feeds simultaneously.
Eldest is saving for a car and lessons next year. Looking forward to not having to run him around 3 nights a week, and he might help out with his sister another 3 nights 🤔
When my youngest was still at home, she’d drop him off at work. Apparently this trip was an argument on who got to choose the music. In my day we had ‘country’ and ‘western’ 🙂
I've a (very good) 17 year old driving and about to have another start lessons in the new year...
I don’t think my better half is going to miss the ‘clock watching’ of dropping him off and fetching him from work.
Ha - it used to be the other way round for me. When I learned to drive my mum was working nights - so 'the deal' if I wanted to have use of a car was I had to take her to work in the evening, so that I could then have use of the car for the rest if the night, then get up early and go and pick her up again before school.
Had a useful dimension as a young driver - she ran an intensive care ward so waiting for her to finish her shift I'd often be in the waiting room with the families of RTA victims. Better way to learn than making the mistakes yourself 🙂
My lad passed over a year ago, but had a baby bond come up in July. We've let him use it for a rather nice 2015 Fabia Monte Carlo 109 bhp - quick machine, but he's been driving it so much, the fronts are now getting near the limit and will need replacing soon (clocked up about 4-5k since June following motor spork (Wales Rally, Oulton Park and Silverstone). Fortunately he has an apprenticeship so will need to budget about £100 a tyre.
He has also been happy to be our taxi driver a few times !!
This is really mind blowing - if I wanted to go somewhere when I was a kid, I cycled. Or used public transport.
The only time my parents ever taxi'd me places was for things *they* wanted me to do.
Yeah I got the bus, train or walked occasionally I got picked up on the Sunday if I’d stayed over as buses didn’t run on a Sunday.
Son2 has just returned the car safely from Bruges. Road trip and he brought back a fine selection of beers. He’s also an excellent pilot.
Son1 will be off to his first speed awareness course presently.
This is really mind blowing – if I wanted to go somewhere when I was a kid, I cycled. Or used public transport.
The only time my parents ever taxi’d me places was for things *they* wanted me to do.
Only time we ever got a lift was when we went on a school trip that involved a suitcase.
Other than that the old man used the car on a Friday to take the family to our nans for tea, and to go shopping a holidays. You wanted to go anywhere , you had your bike.
Had to cycle 5 miles to school each way when they decided to move house.
Sure same here. I think my dad once dropped me off at School in the snow. As it was on his way somewhere else. We cycled/walked everywhere as well. Different times tho.
Most of my kids’ peers drive their own or borrow a family car. Some of that is because in a rural area there are no buses to speak of and it’s miles between anywhere and nowhere 😉
On the flip side, I take the train a lot more for work stuff after it being repeatedly - and rightly - pointed out by those same kids that my actions were hardly in line with good stewardship of the planet….
Anyway he’s driven off this morning. I’m monitoring local news for any repercussions 🙂
Yeah, I never got taken anywhere as a kid.
But then I never got the chance to try a range of sports and hobbies, make loads of friends from very different backgrounds, and travel widely representing a couple of those sports and hobbies at national and international level.
We might moan about the time and cost, but looking back it's been worth it.
Both our kids have now passed.
They are in good locations and can manage with public transport,cycling and renting with mates when they want to drive. I don't think they will be buying a car anytime soon.
My son is currently doing driving lessons - his old nan has retired from driving and sold/gave (ie very cheap) her car to him... he's not happy with it though cos it's a Kia Picanto 😆
Drives ok though, so he has to keep it til he's passed.
Man, the insurance cost though - should be some legislation against those profiteering sharks charging so much.
I've never minded giving him any lifts anywhere - seeing as he rode his bike to school, and now to college, every single day, I don't have any qualms on that front.
My youngest will be starting to learn next month.
Dez - My eldest paid £1200 for the first year's insurance (1.2 2004 Corsa) with no black box, has just gone down to £700 on renewal.
Dez – My eldest paid £1200 for the first year’s insurance (1.2 2004 Corsa) with no black box, has just gone down to £700 on renewal
Yep, the same (2013 1.1 Picanto). Although not renewed as not passed yet.
Different times tho.
Agree with that. My 12 year old can't understand why we dont want him out riding on the roads. The standard of driving in this town is so poor, i feel wary enough driving in my van.
Plus the fact that wants to spend most of his time balancing on his back wheel !!
When i think back, his age we were regularly riding from Bristol to Weston or Newport and catching the train back
Black box for 17 year old was £850 for 10 months. Renewal (dump the black box) was £700. Adding 20 year old was £175. It must be the 'new normal' as I thought 'well that's not too bad really....' Second year is definitely cheaper. Just 1 year no claims plus being a bit older..
Anyway he's home alone while we're in Brussels but first drive to work and back have been without incident.
Good cars the Picanto. That was on my son's short list, but we got the Fabia for a good price, and upon checking the insurance, it was cheaper than a Polo he was looking at, despite the added sports wheels, front and rear spoilers and sports seats etc. etc.
He is using it to get to work and volunteering for St John's Ambulance - he did over 300 miles ferrying supplies round on Manchester's Pride weekend for SJA. He also clocked nearly 1000 miles over the Wales Rally following the stages.