If you have a teen who will soon be driving age, you might be feeling a lot of anxiety and stress about how to teach your teen this new skill. While most teens will go through a driver’s education course to learn how to drive and legally get their license, there’s also a big responsibility on the parents to help their child build on these skills and know how to keep themselves safe. So to help you accomplish these things with your kid, here are three ways you can prepare your child to be a teen driver.
Don’t Rush Him or Her
For some kids, they have always been ready to jump on their dirt bikes or scooter and get moving. For others, they’re much more comfortable just sitting back and being a passenger. Regardless of which type of teen you have, Wayne Parker, a contributor to VeryWellFamily.com, advises that you don’t rush your child into doing something they’re uncomfortable with. If your teen is pressured to get behind the wheel before they’re ready, this could put them and everyone else on the road as risk. So once your child expresses an interest in driving or buying a motorcycle, now might be the right time to start teaching these skills.
Get Everyone In The Right Headspace
Once the days comes that you and your teen are ready to start practicing driving, the ultimate success of the day depends heavily on everyone’s attitudes and mindsets. According to Joe Bargmann, a contributor to Popular Mechanics, you as the parent want to try to set a calm, light mood as your teen is starting out. He or she is already likely feeling stressed enough as it is, and the last thing you want to do is add to that stress. If your teen does something wrong while driving, wait until they’ve stopped the car before you start redirecting or reprimanding him or her so that they don’t get too upset when the car is in motion.
Pick The Right Times To Practice
When your teen’s just starting out as a driver, you’re going to want to be strategic about what times or places you take your teen to practice driving. According to Liza Barth, a contributor to Consumer Reports, you should try to keep your teen off the road during the night hours at first. Night driving is generally more dangerous than day driving, and you want your teen to be safe as he or she is learning. However, you’ll eventually want your teen to learn to drive at night and during other conditions that might not be ideal, like in the rain, snow, or fog.
If you have a teen who’s about ready to learn how to drive, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare to successfully teach your teen.
