Hard to Deny the March of Time When …

my younger boy has gotten his driver's license.

Just happened today. Where have the years gone?

Comments

[Harvey Mosley]

It seems like they're driving younger and younger these days. *sigh*

[MatthewSlyfield]

The minimum age to get a learner's permit hasn't changed. You've just gotten older.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Actually, it has -- many states (e.g. Maine) decided that 15 was just too young.

[James Pollock]

Nobody cares because nobody who matters except for Stephen King lives there.

[Merlin's Beard]

My oldest is graduating from high school in 2 weeks. My 20th wedding anniversary is a month from yesterday. And my beard has went almost completely white. I feel your pain.

[David Nieporent]

Merlin’s Beard’s beard?

[Commenter_XY]

Professor Volokh....Wait until they leave home for good. I know we joke about 'Parental Liberation Day' but I will tell you one of the toughest days I've had is watching my youngest move out. Took a while to get past that one.

[Kazinski]

Yeah, it is tough when they move out. Not only did my youngest want to borrow my truck, he expected me to help him load it.

I retired when my son went off to college, and moved out of state to my cabin for the summer, travel in the winter.

He doesn't have any ideas about moving back in, but you can't be too sure.

But I was 45 when he was born, now he's drinking age.

[David Nieporent]

He doesn’t have any ideas about moving back in, but you can’t be too sure.

Well, did you give him your new address?

[rsteinmetz]

Several years ago we got a call from an old valued employee who announced "I'm Free" . We asked her what do you mean?

She said her youngest daughter had gotten her drivers license she was looking to return to work. She had left work to raise her 2 daughter.

We hired her and she's been here ever since.

[Queen Amalthea]

It's very odd to me but I hear more and more kids don't even get their license when they turn the eligible age, many wait years and years to do so. I was got mine the day of my 16th.

[hardreaders]

I remember the days when passing the driver’s test was essential for Corey Haim to score a date with his dream girl.

But it doesn’t seem like that’s such a concern anymore.

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

If I'm remembering right, I think his dream girl was Heather Graham.

[James Pollock]

Sounds reasonable. I'd dream that dream.

[Krayt]

I got mine four months after 16, because of timing requirements with a learner's permit I was unaware of when I signed up for driving lessons...just before my 16th.

[santamonica811]

In my public school (in Los Angeles, late 70s), pretty much everyone took driver's training and driver's ed in school. Got our Learner's Permit at 15 years, 6 months. Drove with those restrictions (during daylight; an adult in the car at all times) till age 16. Then, off into the world. Of the 20-30 people I knew well in high school, this training prepared us well...not a single person got a moving violation or got into an accident.

I dated in the past a few people who learned to drive in their mid 30s to early 40s. That was terrifying for me...for some reason those basic driving skills were much more difficult to acquire, if learning as an adult, I guess.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I agree -- I've seen it in International students -- you can't learn to drive after the age of 30 -- you never will be good at it.

[James Pollock]

"In my public school (in Los Angeles, late 70s), pretty much everyone took driver’s training and driver’s ed in school."

In my public school, (Beaverton, OR late 70's) driver's ed was a mandatory class in 9th grade. It was a one-quarter of the year class, and there were 4 classes like that that everybody took in 9th grade. (I don't even remember what the others were.) I drew driver's ed in the first quarter, when I was 13 years old. Wasn't even thinking about driving yet, much less daydreaming. 9th grade was the last year of junior high school, and the JHS was close enough to my house to walk to.

[James Pollock]

"It’s very odd to me but I hear more and more kids don’t even get their license when they turn the eligible age, many wait years and years to do so. I was got mine the day of my 16th."

I didn't get mine until I was 25. The price of insurance is not entirely fair. It was like pulling teeth to get my daughter to become licensed. She finished several years of college, begging rides from friends, before finally deciding that deciding when the car leaves is the better position to be in.

[Martinned]

I've had a driving licence since I was 19. (Because in my native country the test is actually difficult, and you can't take it until you're 18.) But I've never owned a car since. I've always lived in cities where the ratio of "price and quality of public transport" to "price and quality of parking" made owning a car a non-starter.

[Kazinski]

Yeah kind of weird about kids and driving, half my youngest son's friends don't drive, and he is looked on as a marvel because he can drive a clutch.

My niece and her husband both had to learn how to drive when they got married, they had spent most of their time together traveling and working overseas.

[MP]

Fairly certain I was reading Volokh.com before my child was born. She starts driving in three weeks (15 1/2).

[Krychek_2]

Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset.

[DaivdBehar]

Surprising for such an urban sophisticate. Far cheaper to Lyft.

[Sidney r finkel]

My son allowed his 15 year old to back the car into the garage.

"Longest 30 seconds of my life" son said. "Welcome to my previous world" I said.

[John F. Carr]

I remember having a license meant I could go places with my girlfriend without parental assistance. That must have been a long time ago because minors can't drive minors around any more. Junior operator laws have helped reduce the number of people who know how to drive.

Haven't seen the girl since she turned into a lawyer.

[rsteinmetz]

When I was in High School the driving age was 15 and the drinking age was 18.

That was a long time ago.

[James Pollock]

When I was in university, the drinking age in British Columbia was 19. You could get there in a day's worth of driving (and my best friend in those days was from a small town on Vancouver Island.)

[Leo Marvin]

Old enough to drive, old enough to blog. When does he go on the masthead?

[Knocka]

Anyone who has kids will tell you, as soon as the first one is born, the years zip by. My oldest is graduating from Seton Hall law school, and my youngest is finishing her masters in English at the Columbia Teachers College. Seems like they were born yesterday. Sigh.

[DaivdBehar]

Does your son read the Comments of this blog?

[James Pollock]

If he has any intelligence and values retaining it, he's blocked you and can't see your rantings.

[Absaroka]

So in maybe 14 years or so, you'll be bouncing grandkids on your knee :-).

As the saying goes, 'If I knew how great grandkids were, I'd have had them first' :-).

Might as well enjoy the trip, it's the only game in town!

[Brett Bellmore]

My 12 year old keeps saying, "when I get my driver's license"; I don't have the heart to tell him that cars will probably be all self-driving by the time he reaches that age.

[iowantwo]

The 14 year old boy driving was not the trigger for me.

The 16 year old daughters first prom was the event that did it for me.

[Roman Moroni]

Of course time seems strange to you. You were born on February 29th. Your 16 year old has already had more birthdays than you.

[JSeast]

Wait until your grandson or granddaughter gets his or her driver's license.

[Paladin_44]

Had a FL learners permit that was issued age 15 back then. Simple typed thing with a flimsy carbon copy insert that served as the temporary license once you turned 16. A little diligent and careful erasing on the CC turned 1944 into 1936 - and the beer flowed in PA where more than one bartender looked, shrugged and said "Ok kid, just don't get me in trouble".