Blisstory Journal Question of the week!

How, when and where did you learn to drive a car?

My friends son just got his license and my daughter wants a new car. The car she wants is a "stick" or manual transmission in case some of you don't know. She has never driven a stick. Brings back a lot of memories, for sure. Hmmm....Now, I'm going to sound like my mom. "When I grew up we had to ....."

I did learn how to drive in a car with an automatic transmission. My Drivers Ed class was in the middle of summer, no air conditioning in the classroom or the car! In fact, we learned on brand new cars (did I mention, "without air conditioning") in the parking lot of Ferndale High School. It was a 3 week course; three (?) hours a day of book work in the classroom (without a.c.) until the last week, then it was all road work. I think my daughter was only on the road three times before she passed the class.

My high school boyfriend had a Vega with a manual transmission. He taught me how to drive; again in the parking lot at Ferndale High School. I distinctly remember ending up on the lawn somehow, getting stuck in a rut, probably by hitting the gas pedal instead of the clutch. Either way, it wasn't a pretty sight and it was very inconvenient for the tow truck driver.

Today, my daughter wants to learn to drive a stick. Like my mom, I say that's a job for her Dad. I don't know if I have the patience to sit through the jerking back and forth, along with the starting and stalling. What I want to know is, how come kids don't learn on a stick from day one? Seems like it's much easier to transition from a stick to an automatic than from an automatic to a stick. Besides, it must be much cheaper to buy a stick; better gas mileage, too! Maybe I'll give the folks at Ford a call!

Any way, here's to safe, blissful driving!

The Bliss Lady