.... Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Anyone else teaching Driver's Ed? Or soon to be teaching Driver's Ed? I just signed dd16 and ds15 up online for Texas Parent-taught Driver's Ed. Utterly terrifying. How am I going to get through this?? Does anyone have any words of wisdom? Should I buy some extra books about driving or something to go along with our online course? I'm trying to think if I need anything extra besides the online course, the packet from the TDLR, their birth certificates/SS cards... The thought of dd and ds :driving: is :ohmy: . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Well if it's anything like the Florida course it will be mind-numbingly boring. But it checks a box and gives a good overview of driving rules, so my youngest will be signed up this summer. As far as the practical part of actually teaching them to drive goes, just think baby steps. My middle child was extremely anxious about driving, so we started with the neighborhood. Just one street in the beginning--5 minutes and he was done. But that became 2 streets, and then 4, and then the whole neighborhood for 15 minutes . . . when he was comfortable with that, we moved on to the next neighborhood. We spent a whole summer just driving the neighborhoods around us, over and over again, with driving practice every day, until doing that was no big deal. From there we moved to bigger streets, traffic lights, etc., until eventually he was driving on the interstate with us. The more he practiced, the more comfortable he got. He had his permit for over a year before he got his license, at almost 17. We're taking the same approach for his driving alone--right now he only drives to places nearby that he's really comfortable with, and he still drives to other places supervised to give him more practice. All that to say--it's nerve-wracking, but it will be ok. And also, it was not as difficult as all that with my oldest, so not every kid is going to need baby steps to that degree. I am not really looking forward to going through it again with my youngest, because he's already overconfident, and that can be more dangerous than overanxious! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Trinqueta's about half way through the Texas online driver's ed from driversed.com. It's very complete (it even has the footage from the morgue shot in the 1980s). I don't think you'll need any more theory of driving books or scare 'em straight stuff. You will need to spend many hours in the car with them. I'm sure you know, but first is the parent taught driver's ed/supervision then there are an additional 30 hours of practice. I wimped out on the parent taught driver's ed. I'm going to sign T up for the driversed.com classes and supervised hours then I'll do many, many practice hours with her for the next year so that (hopefully) she'll be ready and I'll be confident when she gets her license. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I just got off the highway with my dd16 driving. She's gradually getting better with more experience. Lane changing even on a smaller road = serious gray hair. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) Dd did her classroom work with driversed.com and we were very happy with them. She liked it way better than her brothers did going to local classes. I don't do well with new drivers, but DH is very patient and a good teacher. Dd just got her temporary permit two weeks ago and they've been out every day and she loves it so far. In Ohio she'll need 8 hours of driving with an instructor and she is nervous about driving with a stranger. Edited February 26, 2018 by Kassia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Driving instruction with a professional driving instructor was the best money we ever spent. He had more credibility than “just Mom†and made me ride along so I could coach DS later. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Ugh. Dd starts classes in April. I am terrified. Anyone know if you have to inform your insurance for the permit stage? If so, has it been people's experience that rates go up right away or do they wait until full license time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 This might be helpful: https://www.thsc.org/2017/12/homeschool-drivers-ed-texas/ And I'm taking a copy of this letter to the DMV just in case we have someone who isn't aware that the VOE is allowed as a form of identity. https://www.thsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2014-11-dps-acceptance-letter.pdf I'm sure most DMV employees are great, but we haven't always had the best experience there so I'm bracing for the worst and trying to make as few trips as possible. Ok, this is good to know. There are tons of homeschoolers in our area (we're in a major city), so I *think* they will be used to our situation...but you never know. And I have to get a babysitter for our 2 year old when I take them both to the DMV, so I definitely don't want to have to leave and then go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) Ugh. Dd starts classes in April. I am terrified. Anyone know if you have to inform your insurance for the permit stage? If so, has it been people's experience that rates go up right away or do they wait until full license time? Dh called our insurance and they said they don't affect your rates until they actually get their license. Whew! We are going to just take this very slowly. And, unfortunately, I'll be the one teaching them, because dh is not a patient teacher. I'm the patient, methodical adult in the house. Ugh! And I'm terrified, too! I told them we are going to drive slowly through empty parking lots for a LONG time. They are going to be the best parkers in the world. :tongue_smilie: It sounds like a lot of people are using drivers.com. I had enrolled them in Aceable over the weekend and then paid for that packet that you have to download from the DMV (or whatever the Texas DMV is called). I hope Aceable turns out to be ok. Edited February 26, 2018 by Evanthe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 We've found this book to be helpful: https://www.amazon.com/Crash-Proof-Your-Kids-Smarter-Driver/dp/0743277112/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519652561&sr=8-1&keywords=crash+proof+your+kids 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 We've found this book to be helpful: https://www.amazon.com/Crash-Proof-Your-Kids-Smarter-Driver/dp/0743277112/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519652561&sr=8-1&keywords=crash+proof+your+kids Well, that automatically went into my Amazon shopping cart! lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Anyone else teaching Driver's Ed? Or soon to be teaching Driver's Ed? I just signed dd16 and ds15 up online for Texas Parent-taught Driver's Ed. Utterly terrifying. How am I going to get through this?? Does anyone have any words of wisdom? Should I buy some extra books about driving or something to go along with our online course? I'm trying to think if I need anything extra besides the online course, the packet from the TDLR, their birth certificates/SS cards... The thought of dd and ds :driving: is :ohmy: . I just started driver's ed with my oldest. She is using Aceable, and did the first six hours in the first three days that she was signed up so that she could get her permit right away. We didn't have any trouble getting the permit, though in addition to what you have listed you will need to bring a couple items to prove your own residency since your kids probably don't have mortgage statements or voter ID cards yet :laugh: I have taken her out driving a couple of times already (had to wait for the rain to clear out, which about killed her!), both in parking lots and around the block a couple of times. I about nearly passed out in fear, to be honest. I could literally feel my hair turning gray as she drove. I begged my husband to take her out a few times before I do again, because my daughter was tired of me hitting imaginary brakes and I was tired of panicking and hitting imaginary brakes, lol. Alas, he is not the patient, methodical one in this house, so I don't anticipate him taking her driving more than once before the responsibility will fall back on my shoulders. :lol: There is just not enough alcohol in the world to get me through this once, and I have three kids!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) Dd will be able to take the road test in about a week, though I think she needs a little more practice for a few things to become automatic - I see progress but we're not quite there yet. Dh gave up on this job. I'm determined to rope him in again. My twin boys turned 15 recently and I am making them sit through the week-long class to get their permits this summer. They'll have to wait an entire year after getting the permit to get the license, so I want to get the clock started. With dd, she didn't want to drive... until she did, and then had to wait out the year while her friends are all driving. But I don't think I can teach my boys. We had dd do a Masterdrive class and I have an issue with the new-fangled instruction to keep hands at 9 and 3 instead of 10 and 2. My understanding is that crossing the middle of the steering wheel is to be avoided to prevent a broken arm and is somehow driven by insurance companies. But, she's been driving my Suburban, where I feel she really needs to take the bull by the horns at 10 and 2. Anyway, the weird steering instruction messed up her natural feel for steering - she was shuffling hands along the bottom, strangely - and we had to take a couple months off driving to get it back. She now varies her hands between the 10-2 and 9-3 positions but at least is steering more intuitively again. Edited February 26, 2018 by wapiti 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I am right there with you. I have purchased the curriculum. I have sent off the letter it told me to send to the state. But we are trying to get through a couple of other things before we actually crack it open and get going. I am not worried about the book part, just the actual driving instruction after the permit too. :) And semi related: I just spent the morning at the DMV with her to get her first state issued ID. We will have to do it all over again for her permit. This is so that she has an ID to take the PSAT later this week at a ps. It took 4 hours out of our day, and we will be doing it all over again soon enough! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 It took 4 hours out of our day, and we will be doing it all over again soon enough! Oh, no. Yeah, I'm really going to need to get a babysitter for the toddler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Oh, no. Yeah, I'm really going to need to get a babysitter for the toddler. Oh yes. I didn't take the preschooler! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I've been procrastinating. Dd will be old enough for her permit in 3 months. And next dd 13 months after that. (Ds has been dragging his feet on his license, and only drives with his father and stepmother... which I'm pretty content with, lol.) It isn't DRIVING that I'm worried about. It's driving in our specific area that freaks me out. We have to go through a dangerous intersection to get anywhere. Once you're through that, it's 55mph of wooded area with darting wildlife and crazy drivers, or 55mph of downhill S-curves... with crazy drivers. People are maniacs around here. My girls know that b/c they're first responders, and they go to a LOT of MVAs. I'm confident that they will be careful, but I can't control the people around them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) I've been procrastinating. Dd will be old enough for her permit in 3 months. And next dd 13 months after that. (Ds has been dragging his feet on his license, and only drives with his father and stepmother... which I'm pretty content with, lol.) It isn't DRIVING that I'm worried about. It's driving in our specific area that freaks me out. We have to go through a dangerous intersection to get anywhere. Once you're through that, it's 55mph of wooded area with darting wildlife and crazy drivers, or 55mph of downhill S-curves... with crazy drivers. People are maniacs around here. My girls know that b/c they're first responders, and they go to a LOT of MVAs. I'm confident that they will be careful, but I can't control the people around them. Yes, we live in a major city where the driving is terrifying. It's like slot-car racing. Literally. That's why we've waited to start drivers ed. DD turns 17 this fall and she even doesn't have her permit yet. Heck, even *I'm* scared to drive here. Edited February 28, 2018 by Evanthe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Yes, we live in a major city where the driving is terrifying. It's like slot-car racing. Literally. That's why we've waited to start drivers ed. DD turns 17 this fall and she even doesn't have her permit yet. Heck, even *I'm* scared to drive here. It's the ice, snow, and white-outs here that freaks me out. I know the day will come, but I find it very hard to believe that I will gracefully handle my dd driving off in a blizzard. In fact, we carefully timed her driver's training to occur at the end of winter driving season so that she will have her permit for months before the snow flies. I am always scratching my head when a see a student driver car slide by my house. What are they thinking?!?! Luckily, there are winter driving courses here and I fully intend to make dd take every single one possible. I think they should be mandatory in this region but they are not. We are also hours and hours away from the nearest freeway. We will make sure dd gets practice on freeways when we travel but it REALLY disturbs me that many local teens get a full blown license without ever experiencing an on ramp or multiple lanes of traffic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 If anyone is looking at Aceable, we just did the first hour together. I'm going through the course with ds, because I need a refresher anyway. He liked it! It's in video format and it gives you little pop quizzes as you go along in the chapter. Even I got a couple of questions wrong. :cool: There was no way I could remember all those different types of licenses. I made sure dd worked on the course while in the same room with me, so she could pause it and ask me questions - which she did. And I ordered that book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 I am chiming in late here, but I have taught two to drive and will offer my two best tips: 1. Once they mastered the neighborhood and were ready for longer trips, we focused on routes they took every day. It was the route to the gym for one and to the pool for the other. I had her drive a longer section of it every day—the first half-mile on day one, a full mile on day 2, etc. We would repeat the distance as many times as necessary, varying it to take advantage of good stops tto pull over and switch drivers. It was good for both their and my confidence. 2. Magnets for the bumper that said “Student Driver†and “Nervous Parent†were huge helps, even in Atlanta. I made both girls keep them on their cars for the first six months they drove alone. 3. One more—I taught parallel parking using lawn chairs and an empty parking lot, and then they both practiced on the course the road test was given on (there is always a line of people practicing there on Sundays). Around here, a lot of kids fail because of the parking. Mine were prepared to back into a space (without cameras) and parallel park and did fine. My 17 yo astounds her friends with her ability to parallel park. Good luck! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 I guess valium, chocolate, and body armor.... :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Also, I forgot how exhausting it can be for a new driver. When oldest was learning, 10 minutes at a time in the beginning was enough. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 DD is doing FLVS Driver's Ed. It will give her the necessary tests to take to get her permit. She is 15, but I haven't taken her out to drive yet. I know that neither her dad or I will be patient enough with her. I am really a nervous Nelly when it comes to this sort of thing. We live in a suburb of Orlando, and driving is not easy around here. My daughter doesn't even want to drive. I haven't looked into driving instructors yet, but I am hoping they are somewhat affordable! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 He will take more lessons from someone else cause I do not have the nerves for teaching him to drive on the highways of Houston. Where do you buy those bumper magnets? I need those! Yeah, where could we get those Student Driver signs? We are also in a major city in Texas and the driving is horrid. They are very aggressive drivers here. They drive way too fast for conditions and there are accidents everywhere. Our car insurance skyrocketed when we moved here from Missouri. One of the reasons we didn't start dd in driver's ed at 15 is because dd and I were hit head-on on the highway a little over a year ago. She is still scared even riding in the passenger seat of the car, so we are going to take driver's ed very slowly. We've even thought about moving, just because we are afraid the kids are going to get hurt driving here. :sad: So, I understand everyone's anxiety about it! Ugh! Wish there was a way to make it safe to drive here, so I didn't worry about it so much. I did order the Crash-Proof Your Teens book. We are going to go through the book slowly together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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