Keeping Calm and Teaching Your Kid to Drive

Life is full of small and big milestones, and learning to drive is surely one of them. It can be quite frightening to be a parent to someone who is currently learning to drive, though, and especially if your kid wanted to learn it from you as soon as they came of age.

young drifter

Yet, there are a few ways to make sure that the experience is safe and pleasant for both of you and to find the best kind of vehicle for your teen when they finally have that driver’s license.

Here is a handful of ways to do exactly this so that you’re not only avoiding any arguments in the car during the lessons – but also so that you can feel a bit more confident when they’re out driving on their own.

First: Read up on teaching

When you want to teach your kid how to drive, it’s important to keep in mind that you need to be a teacher just as much as you’re being a parent.

The techniques will differ slightly, though, and there’s no use in lecturing your teen about how they should be driving or correcting them in a condescending tone – it will definitely just ensure that the first lesson is also the last.

Remember that, in order to learn, your kid should be able to come to the right conclusion on their own. If you’re noticing that they are driving a bit too fast, for example, it’s a good idea to ask them what the speed limit is rather than telling them to slow down – that way, he or she learns to check the speed limit regularly.

Have a read in this article to learn more about the best kind of teaching techniques to give yourself and your teen the best possible foundation.

Next: Make the lessons short and sweet

Before you set off for your first couple of driving lessons, it’s a good idea to plan them out properly first. Let your kid know exactly what you’re going to be learning, where you are going, and what he or she can expect from it – the more prepared you are, the more successful the lesson is going to be.

Another point to this is that you should make the first lessons quite short. Fifteen minutes might be enough for the first few ones, and you can continue to make them a bit longer as your teen gains confidence. If you manage to end each lesson on good terms and without any frights (or fights), you can consider the lesson a success.

Last: Find a suitable car

Sooner or later, your kid is going to be ready to set off on their own – as long as they have obtained that license, of course.

This means that you need to find a suitable car that is safe rather than fast; one option is to let them keep the car you’ve been practising in if you have more than one car in your household.

Since he or she is used to driving this car by now, it will undoubtedly be the safest option. Another alternative is to sell your old car in order to buy them a new one so that they can feel like it’s completely theirs; have a look at kbb cars to look at what it might be worth, and browse the web for the safest cars for new drivers.

It can be a bit frightening to be in the car while your kid is behind the steering wheel, but it’s important to remind yourself that a calm and confident driver is much safer than an anxious one.

That’s why you need to keep your cool and remember to make the lessons short rather than long. If you’re not able to do this or notice that you’re not quite able to relax when teaching your teen to drive, it’s probably a better idea to leave it to a professional who doesn’t know just how reckless your teen can be sometimes.