When I was growing up learning how to drive was something I always wanted to do. From the age of maybe eight until I was about seventeen driving was something I looked forward to. When I was little I took every chance I could to sit behind the steering wheel. It didn’t matter if I was just sitting there, if I was pretending to drive or if I was helping my dad, I took that opportunity. When I was a teenager I found myself watching how my dad steered the car, how and when he signaled. I watched how he parked the car. I did all this to try to prepare myself for driving.
When I was finally old enough to learn how to drive I thought “great I can finally learn”. Unfortunately I also found out it wasn’t happening until my dad was ready to teach me. It took some time, but he finally came around and one day all of sudden he put me behind the wheel of our rather big station wagon and said “okay let’s see you drive in a straight line”. Well the first thing we learned was that I needed a little help seeing over that steering wheel so we took care of that problem fast.
I can remember my dad teaching me how to drive that station wagon as best as he could and as much as he could. When that part was over my parents sent me to driving school. That man was a good teacher and very patient. I learned when and how to turn. I learned how to parallel park. Everything you needed to learn about driving this man taught me. I have to say that I did find learning how to drive in Brooklyn to be rather easy. Especially since the majority of the streets were numbers like 5th avenue and the numbers went either up or down depending on which way you were heading. So to maneuver a car in Brooklyn for the most part was pretty easy.
When I was ready I took my drivers test and passed it on the first try. I took it in an area of Brooklyn called Red Hook. For the most part it was easy, but I do remember being extremely nervous. After I got my license I saved up my money and bought my first car, a Pontiac 6000. Not the car of my dreams, but it was what I could afford. It did well for me too. These days I still enjoy driving however I do most of my driving on the roads in Upstate New York. I even drove a convertible Jaguar in Scotland of all places!
What about you. Who taught you how to drive? And what was your first car? I would love to hear from you!
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story