I don’t have any answers, but I’ve been teaching high school students for the past two decades, so I get to see these kids as they move into adulthood.
Getting a driver’s license is no longer the holy grail of teenage life as it was for us back in the late 1960s. Part of the appeal of that license was the instant ability to travel far from home, something that today’s teens mostly don’t care about.
I wonder about the impact created by staring into a screen all day. In order for me to see the West Coast, to use an example from my own life, I had to either get a magazine or go there myself. Today YouTube provides hundreds of poorly made travelogues.
All I know is that my kid with an engineering degree just interviewed in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Florida, so he’s apparently the outlier.
I was born in Wyoming, raised mostly in North Dakota and worked in Idaho, Minnesota, Utah, California, North Dakota, Japan and Pennsylvania.
The daughter who was born in Japan is the only one working close to where she was born. My wife, born and raised in California, couldn't wait to get out when we were married. She has never expressed a desire to go back except to visit family.
A relative sent me a dramatic photo of the Eifel Tower that their spouse had taken.
In a few minutes I found the spot they were standing in by searching Google StreetView.
Tell him to flee Minnesota.
Taxes, liberals, and an influx of Somalis and an overwhelming number of Karens anywhere near the Twin Cities.
“Getting a driver’s license is no longer the holy grail of teenage life as it was for us back in the late 1960s. Part of the appeal of that license was the instant ability to travel far from home, something that today’s teens mostly don’t care about.”
My wife and I are a little older than you, and we got our licenses basically the day we turned 16. Our parents were concerned but wanted us to drive not them for after and non school events.
The summer before my senior year in college, I got my mother’s 52 chevy if and when I was graduated. My wife drove her family cars until we were married. I had company cars until my active duty time in the Navy and afterwards until I retired.
My wife had fun cars until she got her current Lexus (now 15 years old.
I had Blazers, Broncos and a Honda Ridgeline besides the nice company cars, the Blazer/Broncos became early inheritances,which got passed on to one of our heirs. The Ridgeline was transferred to one this summer. One vehicle is all we need at this stage of our lives.
On a separate thread, I posted how our parents and grandparents told us to have at least one good vehicle, until the end of our driving.
Our siblings and younger relatives all have at least one good vehicle. That has helped them to get jobs requiring driving.
I worked 2 college summers for the Forestry service in Idaho and got a government driver’s license. The other two summers were with railroads and the government license and a secret clearance enabled me to bid on some good jobs.
Later while on Active duty with the Navy, a top secret clearance, government drivers license and good range time with a 45 and carbine enabled me to have some interesting drives and riders.
“Getting a driver’s license is no longer the holy grail of teenage life as it was for us back in the late 1960s. Part of the appeal of that license was the instant ability to travel far from home, something that today’s teens mostly don’t care about.”
My wife and I are a little older than you, and we got our licenses basically the day we turned 16. Our parents were concerned but wanted us to drive not them for after and non school events.
The summer before my senior year in college, I got my mother’s 52 chevy if and when I was graduated. My wife drove her family cars until we were married. I had company cars until my active duty time in the Navy and afterwards until I retired. We had a car for my wife’s work and whatever.
My wife had fun cars until she got her current Lexus (now 15 years old.
I had Blazers, Broncos and a Honda Ridgeline besides the nice company cars, the Blazer/Broncos became early inheritances,which got passed on to one of our heirs. The Ridgeline was transferred to one this summer. One vehicle is all we need at this stage of our lives.
On a separate thread, I posted how our parents and grandparents told us to have at least one good vehicle, until the end of our driving.
Our siblings and younger relatives all have at least one good vehicle. That has helped them to get jobs requiring driving.
I worked 2 college summers for the Forestry service in Idaho and got a government driver’s license. The other two summers were with railroads and the government license and a secret clearance enabled me to bid on some good jobs.
Later while on Active duty with the Navy, a top secret clearance, government drivers license and good range time with a 45 and carbine enabled me to have some interesting drives and riders using Navy vehicles.
My sibling and her adult daughter live on the same cul de sac.
My wife has 2 adult brothers. They live about 100 miles apart, more on that later. The families for each bro are within 8 to 30 miles apart. The two bros meet every 2 weeks at a restaurant which is about a one hour drive for each one.
Our sons and we like having a brunch together out or at home. After a few hours, we go to our homes if hosting stay there. We enjoy our own beds at night. Living in the Bay area means there is seldom a light traffic day. So a 30-45 minute drive can eat up a couple of hours, and they are not relaxing hours.