It constantly amazes me how different my four children are from each other. Oh, we all watched Sesame Street and we sang the same lullabies for each of them when they were toddlers. They each rode the same style of Big Wheel, swung on the same swing set, and took swimming lessons at age four.
As they became their own persons, however, the subtle and not so subtle differences worked their way to the surface. Soon, Sesame Street was taken over by Star Wars, Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Gilmore Girls, and Cartoon Network. The lullabyes mutated into heavy metal, hard rock, a capella, boy bands, female vocal power houses, French musicals, Broadway musicals and Japanese and Korean Pop music. It all depended on the identity and age of the child in question.
One of the things that has astonished me the most is the differences in their desires at 16 to drive or not to drive. Kevin, the eldest of the four, and Karen, the only girl, wanted to drive right away. In fact, Karen made me drive to the Department of Motor Vehicles on the day of her 16th birthday to take her permit examination because SHE HAD TO HAVE THE DOCUMENT THAT DAY! Unfortunately, when the time came to register, we had only her Social Security Number, and one needs an original Social Security card to obtain a permit. Her card was in the Safe Deposit Box at the bank. Sorry, Karen. Correction....Sorry, Dad. After a few tears from her and a few gasps and sighs from me, we were off to the bank to get the Social Security Card. Keep in mind that it was a 35 to 40 minute drive from one of the landmarks to the other.....But, being the sucker for tears...er...patient and kind man that I am, I drove her to the bank and back to the DMV. We parked and proceeded to the door, where an officer let us in and immediately locked the door to latecomers. We were the last registrants of the day, and Karen earned her permit! Whew! Six months to the day later, she was a licensed driver because SHE HAD TO HAVE THE DOCUMENT THAT DAY!
I don't have the strength to retell the story of Number Two Son, John's getting his license at age 24, but you can glance at this blog entry from September of 2011 to read his story, and feel my anxiety.
It's time now for Son Number Three, Child Number Four, a.k.a. Brian, to get his license. The feeling of anxiety is prevalent, and the desire to retire as his taxi driver is increasing. To give you a glimpse of a moment in the life of a chauffer, consider this dialogue from our journey from play practice at school to his voice and piano lessons about 20 minutes away:
Brian: Do you want me to use my headphones or do you want to hear my music?
Dad: Use your headphones.
Brian: Okay, we don't need to have father-son conversaton time.
Dad: Okay, you can play your music. By the way, I'm going to stay outside in the car during your lessons.
Brian: Why don't you go to Walmart instead of sitting in the car?
Dad: Because I stayed home from work today because I felt sick and I really don't feel like going to Walmart.
Brian: Okay, but if you went, you could get white bread for French toast, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch and soft taco shells.
I sighed. What followed was 10 minutes of Korean pop music with no father-son conversation. It seems like when the lyrics aren't in English, it becomes a beautiful day for a daydream for me. As we approached our destination, it suddenly occurred to me who was controlling the ride, and I said, "Oh, like do you want me to use headphones or like do you want to have conversation, man?" We both laughed; he proceeded to his lessons; I went to Walmart; and on the way home, we heard more Korean pop music.
Yes, 55 and Still Alive wants to see 18 and Still Don't Drive become a motor vehicle operator, as soon as the former's desire to retire expands, and his anxiety dwindles......
Brian: Do you want me to use my headphones or do you want to hear my music?
Dad: Use your headphones.
Brian: Okay, we don't need to have father-son conversaton time.
Dad: Okay, you can play your music. By the way, I'm going to stay outside in the car during your lessons.
Brian: Why don't you go to Walmart instead of sitting in the car?
Dad: Because I stayed home from work today because I felt sick and I really don't feel like going to Walmart.
Brian: Okay, but if you went, you could get white bread for French toast, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch and soft taco shells.
I sighed. What followed was 10 minutes of Korean pop music with no father-son conversation. It seems like when the lyrics aren't in English, it becomes a beautiful day for a daydream for me. As we approached our destination, it suddenly occurred to me who was controlling the ride, and I said, "Oh, like do you want me to use headphones or like do you want to have conversation, man?" We both laughed; he proceeded to his lessons; I went to Walmart; and on the way home, we heard more Korean pop music.
Yes, 55 and Still Alive wants to see 18 and Still Don't Drive become a motor vehicle operator, as soon as the former's desire to retire expands, and his anxiety dwindles......
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