Posted on 02/16/2026 7:48:48 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
As a mom of three kids, Christina Mott had been counting the days until her oldest son, Colton, got his driver's license.
It falls on her to drive each of them — age 10, 12, and 16 — to three different charter schools every day, and then to extracurriculars and social outings. "Having him able to drive himself would free up a lot of time," she says. If only.
While out one day on his learner's permit, Colton rolled through a red light and a stop sign. He panicked and decided to put his license on hold indefinitely. "Getting in crashes, that's something that scares me a lot," Colton explains.
That means his mom is still chauffeuring three kids around their Northern California suburb. Christina, who's 46, says a lot of her fellow parents are going through the same thing: Teenagers are slamming the brakes on the time-honored rite of passage of getting a license at 16, either out of fear or because they're put off by the process or the costs. And that means a lot of Gen X parents are stuck behind the wheel longer than they bargained for.
Even so, she admits Colton doesn't feel quite as ready for a license as she was at 16. "He's not very observant and tends to live in his own world," she says. "I don't think, without GPS, that he would even know how to get to the grocery store from our house that we've lived in for eight years. So, the idea of him dealing with traffic lights and other drivers makes me nervous, too."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
If your boys can navigate Boston traffic and roads, then they’re doing very well. Congrats!
Iv’e noticed a change in young folks today. They are inattentive, and basically don’t know how to do much of anything. I’m being polite.
You wanna go to your girlfriend’s house? Ride your bike or get your license, Skippy.”
Doesn’t matter if you disagree. It just shows you don’t get it. I’m presuming nothing. You’re TELLING me you don’t understand it. I’ve done plenty of time in reality. And I understand how much more fun things can be in the virtual world. The nice part about the matrix is all the freedom of action. No longer are you limited to what is available at your local store. No longer are you limited to what’s a day trip away. No longer are you limited to what the mass media in your area wants to show you. No longer do you have to be able to afford airfare to get to some of the worlds greatest museums. Screw reality, you get mugged in reality.
“He’s not very observant and tends to live in his own world,” she says. “I don’t think, without GPS, that he would even know how to get to the grocery store from our house that we’ve lived in for eight years. So, the idea of him dealing with traffic lights and other drivers makes me nervous, too.”
The kid’s obviously retarded.
“I remember my father had me take responsibility for getting gas in the cars, and for taking the cars for oil changes, and taking the car to the shop for repairs.”
You were lucky. My father had me doing the oil changes, lube jobs, brake adjustments, tune ups, wax jobs.
Especially enjoyable was waiting at the hot shop while the did the recaps.
Yeah, I noticed that too; no fathers were interviewed in the entire article. I wonder why.
I was the primary teacher for my kids and I think that's common with other fathers. Moms have skillsets all their own, but understanding risk and handling machinery are not typically among those.
My son wasn’t real ready, and I made him practice and get his license. He has a friend whose parents never had him get a license. My son drove him around all the time. I was not happy about the situation. I think his friend was like 27 when he got a license.
One of my daughters couldn’t wait.
My other daughter waited, and we agreed. She has a brain injury and a seizure disorder. At 16, she was having to change meds.
She decided to go to community college, and waited until she was 18 to get her license. I had to drive her to college her first year, but there was no need to rush her. Lots of people with seizures are hesitant to drive with good reason.
“getting gas in the cars”
I had to get gas for the boat. A 60 gallon tank, five gallons at a time in Florida heat.
Now, teens and twenty something look upon any sign of adult responsibility with fear and dread. They don't want a driver's license at 16 for the same reason that they're still living at home at 25 or 30.
I was born in 1947. We didn't have a car the whole time I was growing up. We either walked or took the bus to get where we needed to go. I used to have to take two busses to get to work every day. I never learned how to drive until I was about 27, and married with two sons. I never owned a new car until I was 33, divorced, and raising my sons alone. And thankfully, I don't have any grandchildren. I wouldn't have made it to 78 if I had. I would have died of worry.
“but it is not reality at all. It is illusion and delusion.”
All of life’s ‘reality’ is just an illusion.
“Yes sir, that’s was all that mattered then.”
Surfing, hunting, skiing ...
Incorrect.
Even Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber — a beneficiary of the Delayed Driver trend — says it's caught him off guard. In an interview on the Verge's "Decoder" podcast last May, Khosrowshahi revealed he'd been struggling to convince his 18-year-old son to get a license.
Father was interviewed.
“They have all the symptoms of attention deficit disorder...”
Does that include double posting?:)
My niece has four kids, Two boys and twin girls. Both boys and one of the twins got their permits at 16 and are driving. The boys, 20 and 19 both have their own cars. The other twin girl has her permit, but is uncomfortable about learning to drive. She doesn’t have enough confidence in herself yet.
My sons did all the driver's training and exams. All had a license by age 16. My middle son has a CDL as well for driving flat beds around the US.
The mom in this story really has some problem kids. The oldest sounds like he has attention deficit disorder and perhaps should not be driving a motor vehicle.
my father would not let me drive. I learned when I was married.
He was a gaping a-hole.
No ,mommy would want to watch with him.
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