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“Normal” people don’t like to drive when the weather is bad – rain, snow, ice, fog – all conditions that make for increased stomach acid. Bad enough if you’re the driver, worse still if you’re the parent of the driver… and a newbie driver at that. But, somehow, you’ve managed to survive driving a car when in all truth it probably should have been a boat (or a tank). That somehow was based on one or two things: Experience and/or luck. Not everyone is lucky enough to survive a car accident in inclement weather, but you can help your teenage driver up their odds by giving her the keys when the weather is bad, and allowing her to gain a little experience (and maybe a lot of respect) for extreme weather conditions.

Certainly, you’d like to think that your teen has paid attention to your driving when she was merely a passenger. That she’d know what to do in the face of 60 MPH winds and driving rain. But, let’s be honest here, it’s highly doubtful she was sitting there in awe of your driving prowess – she was too busy sending out text messages and listening to her iPod. And, sadly, she’s not going to get those very vital driving skills through osmosis. So, if a storm front is coming in (and if it’s not so bad that you wouldn’t drive in it yourself), grab your keys and your antacid and hit the road (carefully) with your teenager!

Tip: Don’t forget to check out car insurance for teenagers.

So, you and your teenager are thrashing out, um, calmly discussing what should go into the partnership agreement between you.  Your portion of a good agreement might go something like this:

You to Your Teenage Driver:

 “I vow to give you the privilege of driving the car (out of the goodness of my heart and at great personal sacrifice) in exchange for your agreement to the following terms and conditions… (see Part 2)”

While your teenage driver may not agree with this statement (especially once they see Part 2), this is harder on you than it is on your child.  You will have to accept the fact that – because you are giving them this opportunity – they will become much more independent now.  From here on out, they will keep going and going and going until they’re gone.  And with that freedom comes more worry for you… and more gray hair, more stomach acid, more nervous twitches, etc. 

Until the day comes when your child has her own child, she will view your worries and concerns as “over-protectiveness” on your part.  Until that day, she won’t understand that it’s pure love.

Now, once you’ve taken a look at Part 2 and worked with your teenager to create a contract that suits your particular needs, print it, date it and sign it.  Now your teenager is good to go – literally and figuratively.

Entering into a partnership of any sort requires an agreement or contract between all parties involved; sometimes that contract is verbal, but more often than not there’s a written agreement.  For example, when you open a bank account and there’s a written contract between you and the bank, each of you acknowledges what the other agrees to do – you will deposit your money and the bank will pay you interest.  When a couple gets married, there’s a verbal agreement between one partner and the other; a vow to love, honor and cherish, blah blah blah all said in front of witnesses so there’s no wiggle room.  Agreements, contracts, vows… what they all do is establish a standard or a set of rules by which all parties agree to abide.

While a somewhat new concept, a contract that evidences the partnership between a teenage driver and her parents should also be formalized, so that a standard is established.  First and foremost, it should be made clear that failure to abide by the standards is grounds for termination of the agreement – solely at the discretion of the parent. (Note to teenage driver:  Tough.)

Now, drawing up a driving contract doesn’t mean you have to hire a lawyer and track down a notary.  What it does mean is that you and your teenage driver will have to sit down together and calmly discuss exactly what it is that you expect of her, and she in turn will have an opportunity to modify your proposal (within reason).  (Note to teenage driver:  Tough.) 

 So what goes into this proposal between you and your teenage driver?  Let’s go find out.