Cue the sappiness.

H completed his driver education program and successfully passed the driving test. Tomorrow is driver’s license day. Pity me as I prepare to sit at the BMV for hours.

It’s the first really big milestone towards adulthood. It is also starting to feel like a forgotten rite of passage.

We want our children to grow into independent adults. At times, it’s frustrating when you know you could do it many times quicker than they can. Or in this case, so much safer. They won’t learn unless they have the opportunity. Sometimes that means failure.

I hope H is safe. He has been on the receiving end of many talks about driving safely. The mantra “It’s better to arrive late than not at all” should be etched into his brain by now. Still as a parent, it worries me (as it should).

Cherokee and I also prefer he gain the experience while at home. H plans on attending Indiana University in Bloomington. That’s about an hour from us. It’s also a bigger city than Terre Haute with more traffic. I know that kids learn to drive there in those conditions. For our peace of mind, we will feel better knowing he has more experience before college.

This increase in independence also comes with an increase in responsibility. The Nissan Titan we’ve dubbed Steve has needed a new battery for a couple months. Summer travel pushed that off. H learned how to swap out the battery tonight. It’s not a difficult job but one he was unfamiliar with. An oil change comes next.

The reality is that someday our kids won’t be at home with us. We are trying to raise them to do these things on their own because someday they will have to. I worry about the ones I see graduating high school or entering their 20s without a license or a car. For better or worse, we live in a car dominated society. Delaying that milestone is a disservice to them.