I have been searching for a video that I saw on Facebook several weeks ago and I cannot find it!  It was a wonderful reminder about time, in particular about the value we do or do not place on where we spend our time.  Think about this for just a moment.  Many people spend an inordinate amount of time staring at a screen, whether it is a computer, a tablet, or that smart phone that none of us can seem to put down.  One of my favorite hobbies is people-watching and when I engage in that activity it is sad to see families together that are not talking to each other. Instead, everyone is staring at a screen.  Watch when people are at restaurants and everyone at the table is looking at their phone instead of engaging in conversation with their colleagues, friends or family members.  You may even be reading this while you’re out with your kids.   So, what does this have to do with driving?

If you are a customer of DrivingMBA you probably know that our recommendation for practice driving while on a permit is 100 hours — 70 hours more than the state requirement.  DrivingMBA was founded on the principle of “Minimum requirements are not good enough.”   That is true in our approach to the training itself as well as what we expect of our students and their parents, guardians or support system.  Unfortunately, that also gets us a great deal of resistance from parents who “just want to get this done.”  At the end of the day it is because they just want their teenager to get their license and get themselves to where they need to go.  It is a MAJOR convenience for parents to have another driver in the family to:

• drive themselves
• drive their siblings to and from where they need to go

Unfortunately, that is not how preparing a novice driver, no matter what their age, should be done.  Each student is different.  They have their own unique learning style, they may be living with challenges from ADD, ADHD, OCD, Dyslexia, Anxiety, Aspergers, and the list can go on and on.  Those living with any challenges will take even more time and practice than a “typical student” because they have to develop strategies that will help them stay focused and live within the grey that all of us face when we are on the roads.  Every time you drive. you see other drivers who do not follow the rules of the road, drive distracted or might be just downright rude and dangerous on the roads.

Again, what does all of this have to do with the topic of time?  When we ask you to get 20 hours of practice in across 4 to 6 weeks before your next lesson, we are also presenting you with a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with your new driver.  Time flies, they are not always teens and sometimes it is a wife or husband learning how to drive or an older child that waited to get their license.  No matter what the circumstances, this gives you the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time, with no technology, not being interrupted by others, just time together.   If you’re working with a teen driver, you are spending time together in the vehicle working on potentially one of the last life skills you will impart to them before they start to experience young  adulthood.  Getting a license is a landmark event that signifies freedom, responsibility and a new chapter in one’s life.  Why not approach it from that perspective rather than the perspective of a painful exercise and “I don’t have time for this!”  This is precisely why we offer a Parent Class, so that you are an educated and informed parent or coach and to help make the practice time a productive, and hopefully good experience for both you and the student.