Can a Parent Ever Be Ready for Son's Driver's License Test?

Two years ago I didn' t think I ever would be ready to have a teen-age driver.
One year ago when Patrick turned 15 I still didn' t think I was ready but I realized I better get ready because Patrick was eligible to get his learner's driving permit and in a year's time he'd be able to get his license.
Now that year has passed, and whether I was ready or not, the acquisition of a driver's license was unavoidable.
Patrick turned 16 last week.
While I was waiting for his birth it seemed the eleven days he was overdue from the Doctor's predicted due date were the longest ones of my life. Once he arrived, time passed at a record pace only to step on the brakes when he was fifteen years, eleven months and two weeks old.
Those last days crawled by as Patrick marked them off on the calendar, waiting to clip another link in the chain of dependence. For Patrick a driver's license meant independence and he was most eager to have it.
This past year as Patrick practiced driving, I rode shotgun, avoiding the temptation to grab the steering wheel, stomping on imaginary brakes, and alternating between cursing and praying under my breath. I wanted out of the car.
So when the big day arrived I was mentally ready but physically weak. It helped that I had been broken in gradually by a stream of Patrick's buddies who had made this rite of passage last winter or spring. Several times a week one of the guys would pull into the driveway looking for Patrick, and then they would be off, going about the business of being teenagers.
At first these outings required me to take a gulp of courage and ask a big heap of questions. Gradually I relaxed and now I can let him go out in a car with friends after asking only a small heap of questions and experiencing just a slight elevation of my heart rate.
When I picked Patrick up at school to take the test, I was as excited as he was. I was also nervous. Maybe I was thinking about our new insurance rates. He assured me after a year of practice driving and taking the driver's training course he was prepared.
"Don't you think you should read over the rules of the road testing manual first?" I suggested.
"The written part is kind of tricky. What if you get this question: If you enter an intersection as the light turns yellow should you:
A) Drive up on the median to get out of the way?
B) Step on the gas, honk your horn and wave a red handkerchief out the window?"
"I'd answer yes to both of the above," Patrick said.
He managed to get through the written part and then the examiner took Patrick out in the car to drive. I was optimistic until they returned and only the examiner came back in the building.
"Didn't he pass?" I asked
"No, he only did one thing wrong but I couldn't pass him."
"What was the mistake?" I asked.
"He was speeding," the examiner explained.
I left and got into the car where Patrick was waiting.
"Speeding on your driver's test? You are lucky you didn't get stopped by the police."
I was tempted to also say, "Couldn' t you have failed for something run of the mill like not using your turning signals or driving over the curb?" I didn't . After all, Patrick isn't a run of the mill
fellow, nor would I want him to be.
I also don't want him to speed, and he didn' t the next day when he went back and passed the test. According to Pete and Mike, who had their first ride with big brother on the way to soccer practice, "Patrick drove real slow."
More experienced parents of teen drivers tell me this is the honeymoon period I wonder how many errands he can run for me before the honeymoon is gone and so is Patrick, driving off in my car.
October 19, 1988