Driving Miss Daisy

My 15 year-old son recently got his driver's permit. This, in and of itself, is a problem. Luckily though, he's not turning out to be a chip off the old block!

Unlike his father, he did not have a spectacular accident his first day driving with a permit. In my defense, it was dark. Also, my father, mother and both my sisters were distracting me. Add to that a tow truck driver, towing a school bus, who was clearly over the double yellow line and you get disaster. The real deal-sealer, though, was the swinging school bus door being wide open! It was the swinging door that actually ripped down the side of my Dad's leviathan station wagon that I happened to be driving.

Regardless, it's more of a problem for me than it is for my wife. She really doesn't enjoy driving.

Me? I love to drive! I love automatics, but prefer straight drives. I like station wagons, trucks and sports cars. I like diesel and gas powered vehicles. I'm not big on minivans, but I've driven those too!

The car has not yet been made that I can't handle. I've driven Hondas, VW's, Chevrolets, Fords, Porsches, Land Rovers, Mazdas, Pontiacs, Saabs, Toyotas, Acuras... Well, you get the idea.

On a side note, I've not yet had the pleasure to drive a Jaguar, Lamborghini or Maserati. If any of my readers have one of these fine vehicles and need it test driven for speed, endurance and agility... Feel free to contact me.

This, of course, is the root of the problem.

I'm torn between being a good dad and letting my inexperienced son drive my car and being an avid car enthusiast who doesn't want to share his baby. Not only that, I hate being a passenger. I'd much rather be the one behind the wheel.

For now, I'm opting to be a good dad and allow my son to chauffeur me around High Point. Luckily, the NC Department of Motor Vehicles requires me to be in the front seat while he's driving.

Miss Daisy, I am not.