Where has the time gone? I remember when our little baby was
born! OK, that was 17 years ago, but it
still seems like yesterday. Where has
that time gone? As I am writing this
with a scatter brained attitude, I cannot believe that Bec is going to get
behind the wheel of a car…AHHHHH! Yes, I
know that as time passes, this day would come.
She has been looking forward to this for the last couple of months. She opted not to take the test on her
birthday, as there was the NJ HSPA tests (High School Proficiency Test), a
state mandated standardized test, which schools teach towards. That, however, is a topic for another
day. Bec felt that she wanted to focus
on those tests and the SATs which followed last Saturday. But, she had it all planned out – She turned
17, was going to pass her driver’s test, then go to her first R-rated
movie. An honorable goal she set for
last Tuesday.
It is interesting to see that
my daughter had set some objectives for herself. The cool thing is watching our children
develop the ability to define plausible goals for themselves. She had a 3-step objective for herself. The first, turning 17, would come with time
and took almost no effort from her. The
second goal was passing her driver’s test.
This is definitely a rite of passage, which not all 17 year olds want to
strive for (our older daughter has friends that live in NYC, where public
transportation is used so driving is not as needed). This goal took many hours of practice and
hard effort…”K” turns and parallel parking are not easy at that point. The third objective, driving herself to a
movie was clearly dependent on the first two goals being met. As we go through our lives, the importance of
setting goals never leaves us, these are the things that dreams can be made of,
aspirations to achieving a higher purpose or simply the things that make us get
up in the morning to greet each day with a positive attitude. As Earl Nightingale said, “People with goals
succeed because they know where they're going.”
Our goals may change with each stage in our lives, but they should
always be there to motivate our actions.
The big day finally came and
there was both excitement and nervousness.
Bec went to school and was picked up at 12:00 to take her driver’s
test. As a parent, the feelings are
mixed, trepidation that our child has reached a milestone and that we only want
the best for her. Debbie and I waited
patiently, going about our business like any other day, but waited with bated
breath for the text from Rebecca on how she did. Around 2:00, the text came in – SHE PASSED
HER TEST! We were excited and happy for
her. I met her at motor vehicle to wait
for her to get her actual license. When
we got home, she took a drive around the block by herself in Hank (Gab’s car),
then drove off into the sunset…OK, that is a bit melodramatic, but it felt that
way as she drove off to pick up her friend and go to their first R-rated movie
with their IDs in their hand so that they could be proofed.
P.S. – When they got there,
her friend knew the kid behind the counter and they got into the movie without
being proofed…
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