Imagine arriving home on the eve of your 17th birthday to find a small hatchback in the driveway with a big red bow.
Last year, my son David turned 17. He had been working for several summers at a local golf course to pay for his social activities and to save up for a car. With a solid heap of savings, he had enough to buy a ‘clunker’. Reliability was an issue for us and after buying the car he may have found it challenging to cover gas, insurance and maintenance.
And let’s face it – having another driver in the house was going to make family logistics easier, so after some careful thought, Scott and I opted to buy the car, a Volkswagen hatchback with low mileage and a set of winter tires.
Also, as a parent, I had a light bulb moment – if he owned the car, we would not be able to control boundaries for our still young and impressionable lad. So, while he may be at the wheel, we still hold the reins. This means he has full access to the car for commuting to work, his cooperative education program, hockey games and practices, and school. It was also established that we may need him to help out with his brother’s schedule. And when it came to socializing, he would have to run his plans by us first. I could hear it ringing in my head – if David owned the car, we’d be subjected to regular protests of “It’s my car and you can’t tell me when I can and can’t drive it!”
So, needless to say, I’m relieved we arrived at the arrangement that we did. And sure, we had our patience tested once or twice in the past year, but overall, we are impressed with how our boy has harnessed his new responsibilities, including the onus of all costs associated with the car.
As he approaches his 18th birthday and (gasp!) adulthood, we will continue to loosen our parental grip, with the ultimate view of giving him the proverbial open road.