Kennedy's Family Life: Learner's permit opens new chapter

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One day last week, our 15-year-old son climbed into the family's Toyota Venza. He quickly positioned his hands at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock on the steering wheel.

His Vineyard Vines farmer's cap was pulled down low, and his Oakley sunglasses shielded his eyes against the April sun. He looked like a young Tom Cruise, circa "Risky Business."

It was Day 2 of the Kennedy family driving school, and the boy was already beginning to feel more confident. His launches were becoming less jerky. His turns were getting more fluid. Even backing out of a parking space was beginning to feel intuitive.

"The speed limit is 25 here, right, Daddy?" he said as we puttered down a side road.

"Yep, good catch," I said, trying to be as quiet as possible in the passenger's seat.

There were times I lost track of the fact that he had only a couple of hours of driving experience. Of course, that's if you don't count endless hours spent driving a customized Lamborghini on his X-box game console.

My gosh, I thought, here is our firstborn son, suddenly all grown up and driving. Here's the kid who steered a tiny golf cart through the neighborhood at age 3 tooling down the road in a two-ton automobile.

I've thought for some time that driving - not leaving home for college - is the real dividing line between childhood and adulthood. Seeing it unfold before my eyes only reinforces the thought.

Six months from now, my son will get his real driver's license and - poof! - he will effectively be liberated from the house. His maternal grandmother has already promised him a used car, so he will be cocked and loaded for independence.

He could have gotten his learner's permit last fall, but I think he got spooked when a couple of his buddies had to retake the exam. Apparently, Tennessee has toughened up the driving test, and lots of kids these days require significant study time to pass.

Getting a learner's permit is not as easy as when I was a kid. In fact, it has begun to feel like an exercise in extreme vetting.

To get a learner's permit in Tennessee these days requires an original birth certificate, a Social Security card, two proofs of residency (utility bills, mortgage statements, etc.) and a proof of attendance form from the child's school.

Getting a learner's permit also means embarking on another rite of passage: buying a proper wallet. My older son and I drove together out to Northgate Mall on Sunday afternoon to find a leather billfold that would showcase his new learner's permit.

Back home, he carefully positioned his ID just so in his new wallet, then turned to the task of transferring his cash from his little boy wallet to his manly new billfold.

"How much money do you think I need to carry around?" he asked me.

"Oh, $20 is a good, round number," I said. "No need to carry more. You might lose it."

I called my insurance agent and had his name added to our policy. I learned about discounts for grades, driving school and for completing requirements on the company's driver-training smartphone app.

Meanwhile, I picked him up at school after soccer practice on Monday, and he approached the driver's side of my car.

"Dad, can I drive home?" he said.

"Sure," I said, handing him the keys and climbing out.

Meanwhile, he admonished his little brother to move to the back seat.

"Sorry, buddy, it's the law," he said seriously. "I have to have a licensed driver in the front seat."

Little brother rolled his eyes and grabbed his backpack.

Seconds later, the shifter clicked into drive, and my son lifted his chin.

Let's roll, baby boy.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645.

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