For the last few years, whenever Cait’s been in the car with me, I’ve looked for opportunities to teach her about safe driving. I figure if I can slide in little tips and warnings over time, they’ll stick better and become automatic for her when she’s driving. It’s my chance to start her driver’s education early.
On a recent night, it was foggy and raining, which gave me the chance to explain why low beams work better under these driving conditions than high beams.
Demonstrating, I flicked the high beams on. “See how the light refracts off the fog and actually makes it harder to see?” I said.
“Yeah, I see that,” Cait answered.
“Now look when I put the low beams back on,” I said, flicking the low beams on. “See how you can actually see further than with the high beams?”
“Yeah, I see, Mom,” Cait answered.
I continued my demonstration at different points along the road. Low beams. High beams. Low beams. High beams.
Cait finally put her hand on my arm, looked at me, and said,”Got it, Mom.”
Um, yeah. So, if you’re driving around these parts in a few years, and a car’s coming through the fog with its high beams on, I guess it’s safe to say it won’t be my daughter.
Too funny. Good for you for teaching your daughter how to be safe on the road!
Great idea to start early, I do think it makes a difference.
How cute!! Don’t you just love when kids look at you as if saying, “She CAN’T seriously think I haven’t yet understood.”
You’re such a good mom, every time I read a Cait post I wish I had a daughter. :)
I am a horrible driver, so thank goodness my husband is in a profession that requires him to take defensive driving. I will not be teaching any of my kids because I don’t want them to drive like me. Very funny that Cait said that, I’m sure she had it after the first example!
GirlandDog, I hope you get to have a girl too! They are so much fun — not that boys aren’t. It’s just different.
Jenn, Andrew is the “safer” driver of us two; I tend to have a lead foot. So I hope Cait drives more like her dad too.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell when reinforcement becomes mere repetition.
LOL…you know, she’ll appreciate all of this when she’s older.
And if we see a car’s lights going from high beam to low beam to high beam and back again to low beam shall we assume it’s you? ;)
Therese – LOL! Yep, that would be me. Probably with the dogs in the car, trying to teach them. Seems I can’t help myself. :)
Don’t you wish there were some outward meter or something on kids so you could be sure the lessons are getting through?
That was me years ago, my poor dad! He also tried to teach me standard driving, that never did work. But I do use high beams! Fun post!
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