My husband and I recently had a conversation about how we were going to handle our girls when they get to be driving age. Safe driving is obviously my main concern, and as a parent of a 3 year old and 6 year old, I wouldn’t exactly call myself an expert on the topic just yet. Yet, we were engulfed in the conversation and he asked me how I was would implement driving rules when our girls came of age.
Um…should I already have a plan for this?
Underage drinking is obviously a concern on every mother’s mind, and according to MADD, this year alone 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes. That’s about one every 50 minutes! That’s a scary statistic, to say the least.
So my first thought was that I could install a GPS tracking system and monitor their every move. Better yet, why not put a giant yellow sticker on the side of their cars that read “Safe teen driving“. I think the fact that there’s a giant yellow sticker on the side of their car may curb their appeitite to drink and drive.
Do you think they would hate me for that?
Grounding, punishment, yelling, and all of that other “teenage discipline stuff” hasn’t seemed to work for our friends who do have teenage children, so after much thought, I think I figured out the perfect solution…
I’m going to copy the idea from the movie Despicable Me, and instead of a “Box of Shame”, I’m going to create “The Box of Teen”. Every Friday and Saturday night they will get the privilege of sitting in there and doing whatever they please. How exciting does this sound? They can eat cookies, play with their new, and now more far advanced Iphone contraptions, or read a silly book about a crazy wolf and some super cute vampires. But, under no circumstances can they come out of the “Box of Teen” until Sunday morning.
So what do you think? Have I figured out a rockin’ solution to my impending teen driving debacle?
My children are 27, 22, 17 (girls) and a 10-year-old boy. Back when the oldest was a pre-teen, I instituted a “No Questions Asked” policy, and stressed it (my own teen experiences led me to know that I should). If they are out and have been drinking, if the person(s) they are riding with have been drinking, if there’s any thing WHATsoEVER that might cause them not to make it home in one piece, they can call me, even if they’re past curfew, and I will get them .. no questions asked, no lectures once they’re home. My oldest now tells the youngest girl that the “No Questions Asked” goes for her, too, just in case she is too embarrassed to call me.