In what felt like no time at all, Connor's 16th birthday arrived and we could hardly believe it. How was it possible that my oldest had reached this milestone?! During his birthday week, we were consumed with a hectic schedule of school and sports, but I managed to make some awesome rolls for his birthday breakfast followed by his favorite chocolate cake a few days later when we could finally celebrate.
Being that he had already received his G-Wagon as his primary birthday gift a few weeks prior, Connor really only wanted one thing on his actual birthday: he wanted to take his driver's test and get his official driver's license! It was a bit ironic that he was so anxious to get his license because we practically had to force him to get his learner's permit and learn how to drive with Jeff. He said that it felt so much more real when he actually got a car and realized he would be able to have that freedom to drive whenever he wanted. That is, whenever Mom and Dad would let him, ha!
On Connor's actual birthday, we pulled him out of school a little early for his driver's appointment at our local DPS office. They checked his paperwork, snapped his photo, and then he was sent to wait in a line to take his official driving test.
Jeff and I lingered nearby to watch the driver's test unfold, and we were both anxious on Connor's behalf. As Connor's home driving instructor for the past year, Jeff was confused and somewhat appalled as he watched from afar while Connor attempted his parallel parking, because he seemed to be completely out of the provided cones. But soon enough, Connor confirmed that despite the remarks by his DPS instructor about his parallel parking being "iffy" (LOL!) Connor was now an officially licensed driver!
Connor admitted that he had struggled with the parallel parking but he was overjoyed at having his license and being able to drive on his own. Of course, I was going to need some time to adjust to this new situation and reminded Connor (and Jeff!) that we needed to EASE into this phase of solo driving. Jeff had the honor of snapping the photo when Connor pulled out of our driveway on his own for the very first time. What a strange and frightening feeling as a parent! I can't even imagine what it was like years ago without the use of cell phones and tracking apps to help parents keep up with their kids to know they're safe. For now, I'm thankful that Connor has a healthy fear of driving and mostly continues to live up to his "grandma" driving style as we let him venture further and further from home. And admittedly, it has been SUCH a blessing to our busy household that Connor can drive himself to his many activities for school and sports. Overall, it's a whole new phase for us that I'm not quite ready for, but ready or not, there he goes!
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