After a year of struggling to meet drive times and bumming rides from friends, I finally got my license nearly a year late.

During those 10 months, I resented being unable to drive anywhere without my parents – where was the fun in that? I was jealous of friends buying cars, friends who could go wherever they liked, friends who were “grown-up” enough even to pick up siblings or run their own errands.

 I wanted to be able to hang out with my friends whenever I wanted, to do things on my own and never depend on my parents for transportation. In short, I saw getting my license as a passport to independence. Soon after I actually got my license, however, I found that this was not the case.

 My parents, like most other parents, are far more protective than I would like them to be. This has been especially true of me driving. They are afraid of me driving at night and will not let me drive at all when the weather isn’t ideal.

They won’t let me have food or listen to music in the car because it’s too “distracting”, and hesitate to let me drive with friends even five minutes away from my house. They don’t like me driving anywhere that isn’t close to my house or that requires me to get on a highway.

Even when they’re in the car with me, they are anxious the entire time and constantly get worked up about potential dangers.

I understand the parental desire to protect, and I know that driving actually is a potentially life-threatening responsibility. I think it is reasonable for parents to be worried or cautious when their child first starts driving.

However, I also think it’s ridiculous to expect your child to only drive in ideal conditions. In real life, they will need to be able to drive despite distractions. It will be necessary for them to learn to drive when it’s dark, or when it’s raining, or when there are other, less careful drivers on the road.

If the parents are not willing to stretch their comfort zones and allow their kids to become accustomed to these things, their child will be in a worse situation when they can no longer depend on their parents to monitor them.

Although not everyone who is licensed to drive is necessarily a great driver, parents need to accept that their kids have been passed by the government as capable of driving. The ability to drive is a necessity to American life, especially in cities like Austin that are lacking in public transportation.

Parents will not be able to protect their kids their entire lives; driving is one of the larger milestones in letting a child grow up and come closer to independence. Mom or Dad won’t be able to sit in the passenger seat watching for oncoming cars or telling you when it’s safe to change lanes forever.

Instead of holding onto their anxiety and being unrealistic about driving, parents should work with their kids to make this transition as easy and smooth as possible.