| 3 JUL 2007 at 11:12pm |
Lady KestrelGuild Master
Posts : 4036
Joined: 27 SEP 2004
Location: US, NJ
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By SirDave (2 JUL 2007 7:42pm)
Dearest Lady K: Does that mean that, also, sometimes you are here when you're someplace else??
Only in the astral sense, dear Sir.
Michelle,
I think Hissy Fit is a great name!
I bought a new vehicle recently, too. I got a chili pepper red Saturn Vue. I wasn't going to get new wheels for at least a year, but my 3-door Saturn was just too small for chauffeuring some of our Red Hat ladies around. (After riding with a couple of them, I insist on driving.) Also, this was the last year they were going to have the stick shift and the plastic body. It's only the 4-cylinder model but still quite peppy and still gets decent gas mileage.
"Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?"
-Rabindranath Tagore
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| 5 JUL 2007 at 1:22am |
ValGuild Master
Posts : 3464
Joined: 2 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Weird! I just got a new car too! After 5 years of no car payments. eek! A little Suzuki Grand Vatara. Pearlized white which would not have been my first choice in color but I like it now and with 0% fincancing... yay! Way better gas mileage for my new job which is way further away. I was driving for the past 5 years, a 1998 Ford Windstar! :-X
We can be heroes, just for one day.
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| 5 JUL 2007 at 5:35am |
MissBSchattenjger
Posts : 2217
Joined: 15 OCT 2002
Status : Online | After filing bankruptcy last year, the only person that would finance me is, well, me!! I now owe myself (via my 401k account) quite a bit of money . I went ahead and got enough to get my daughter a car for her 16th birthday in August.
I hope I can pay it back in a timely manner, otherwise I'll be very busy calling myself asking when I can make a payment.....
My name is Bethany and I'm the daughter of Gamergal/Michelle.
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| 6 JUL 2007 at 9:30am |
KarstenSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 347
Joined: 23 SEP 2006
Location: DK
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Advent.33 (6 JUL 2007 8:41am)
You are actually buying your 16 year old a vehicle to drive around the streets? Will she be allowed to have sex and drink/smoke without getting into trouble with the Law? Why not make a 16 year old totally responsible and give them voting rights too?
I think the person that posted that he would buy his (or her) daughter a car for her 16th year birthday, lives in the US where the driving age in most states are 16 years which basically means that you can get a license to drive a car when you're 16. It also is somewhat of a tradition that sons & daugthers get a car from their paren(s) as a gift when they turn 16, the sons & dauthers, that is, if the parents can afford it.
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| 6 JUL 2007 at 4:52pm |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4940
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Karsten (6 JUL 2007 9:29am)
Originally Posted By Advent.33 (6 JUL 2007 8:41am)
It also is somewhat of a tradition that sons & daugthers get a car from their paren(s) as a gift when they turn 16, the sons & dauthers, that is, if the parents can afford it.
IMO, an unfortunate tradition even if the parents can afford it. Even moreso now that we know without a doubt (due to PetScan evidence) that some of the brain's judgment centers are not fully developed until into the twenties. In our area (So. California) there continue to be awful accidents because of teenagers speeding, drinking and drag racing. With our 2 children, we allowed them to get their license when they were 16, but only had very limited use of our 2nd car. Both of them didn't get cars- and both of them were very-used (the cars that is )- until they were in 2nd year university and could get part-time jobs to help pay for the cars' upkeep. Even so, one of them had a minor rear-ender on the freeway at age 19, but it could have been far worse.
The future ain't what it used to be!
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| 7 JUL 2007 at 10:16pm |
MissBSchattenjger
Posts : 2217
Joined: 15 OCT 2002
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Advent.33 (6 JUL 2007 8:41am)
You are actually buying your 16 year old a vehicle to drive around the streets?
Yes, I am. Not a new one by any means, but a car nonetheless. I'm her mother and would not buy my child a vehicle if I didn't feel comfortable with her driving ability and sense of responsibility.
And Karsten is right....I'm in the US and it's the most hoped for gift of any 16 year old. She's had a learner's permit for a year and is a very good driver.
Will she be allowed to have sex and drink/smoke without getting into trouble with the Law? Why not make a 16 year old totally responsible and give them voting rights too?
I'm not really sure at what you're getting at here. Of course, the answer is no. But if you're implying that I'm being an irresponsible parent, I don't really appreciate it. She will be allowed to drive herself to and from school and that's about it until she proves herself.
I feel no further need to defend myself to you, Advent, so I hope this answered your questions.
My name is Bethany and I'm the daughter of Gamergal/Michelle.
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| 8 JUL 2007 at 12:25am |
Lady KestrelGuild Master
Posts : 4036
Joined: 27 SEP 2004
Location: US, NJ
Status : Offline | The driving age varies from state to state. In NJ, it's 17.
"Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?"
-Rabindranath Tagore
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| 8 JUL 2007 at 12:32am |
MissBSchattenjger
Posts : 2217
Joined: 15 OCT 2002
Status : Online | Thank you for your kind reply....all is forgiven
In the US, 15 year olds take an extensive driving class, then have to log several hours driving with an instructor. IF the instructor feels the teen does well, they are allowed to take a test at the State division of motor vehicles. IF they pass the test, they are given a permit. With the permit, they are only allowed to drive with a parent during the hours of 7am-6pm. If they prove themselves to be responsible and get no tickets, etc., they can take the official driver's test at 16.
If they pass the State test and a driving test (done with a state trooper), they are given a restricted license. For the first 6 months, they can only drive 7am-6pm with only one passenger and one parent. At this point, the parent has to step in and restrict where their child can drive. My daughter knows she will only be allowed to drive alone to and from school for 6 months--about 3 miles away. After 6 months (with no infractions, of course), the time is extended to 9pm--probably because most teens have an after school job that will require them to work until 9. I'm just going to take things as they come from there. I'll probably allow her to drive around town some. We live in a teeny-tiny town with 5 stoplights, so I think she'd be pretty safe .
Since she got permit, I've mostly just driven to and from work. She's been my chauffeur!! She scared the crap outta me at first, but is actually very good now.
If she gets a ticket for speeding, I will not allow her to drive. If she causes an accident due to negligence, I will not replace the car. And under no circumstances are teens allowed to use cell phones while driving.
As far as I know, 16 isn't the *magic* age for anything else, other than being an insufferable know-it-all
My name is Bethany and I'm the daughter of Gamergal/Michelle.
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| 8 JUL 2007 at 1:02am |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4940
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Lady K. was right- there is some interesting variations by State (in the U.S., when it comes to certain 'rules' and laws, it is like 50 little countries bound together). For instance, it's interesting that, in Georgia, you have to be 18 for a full license:
http://golocalnet.com/drivingage
The future ain't what it used to be!
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| 8 JUL 2007 at 2:21am |
MarkGuild Master
Posts : 3803
Joined: 10 OCT 2002
Location: US, Georgia
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By SirDave (8 JUL 2007 1:02am)
For instance, it's interesting that, in Georgia, you have to be 18 for a full license...
When did this change? I can't keep up.
Well, thank my lucky stars (and my wonderful parents) that I was a full-fledged, licensed driver here in Georgia at 16 (with the Learner's Permit at 15, yada yada).
But I started driving things really early: tricycle-->bicycle-->"neigh"bor's horse-->non-motorized go-cart (thank goodness for Boy Scouts' soap-box racer contests)-->motorized go-cart (50 horsepower!)-->dirt bike-->street-legal motorcycle-->car-->little speedboat-->truck-->people crazy.
The only ones my parents bought for me was via Santa Claus, and that was the tricycle and the bicycle. The rest, I helped build (the go-carts) or had to at least help pay for, and the boat was a thing between my brother and me.
When we went water skiing, he always tried to drown me so I wouldn't want to take the boat out without him. Jerk. Didn't scare me. I still like any sports that are water-related.
[img]http://www.mindspring.com/~markparrish/Mumbles.gif[/img]...except that one, you nasty-minded person, you...mumble...I'm not mentioning any names, but his initials are ShadowWalker...grunt...
After seeing a German kid-friend who turned 25 last month and still shows zero interest in driving, I'm rather discouraged. His expertise in every thing else is amazing: his school-work, his computer and console gaming "skills", his language skills, his people skills, his work skills...exceptional.
I'm sponsoring him for American citizenship, and think he'll be a real asset to our country. But I want him to learn to drive, dammit.
I've let him drive my four-wheeled vehicles in empty parking lots (and without a Learner's Permit. I know, I know...) just so he can get a feel for real driving - not virtual simulations.
I have been frightened several times, because it almost seems as if he doesn't realize that it's "real": That, yes, if you bang into something, it will cause very real, expensive, and sometimes horrible damage to life, property, and apple pie.
Anyway, I will continue to "counsel" (nag; encourage; whatever) him to take professional driving lessons - but there is always an excuse.
Sigh. I was hoping I could have a trustworthy chauffeur in my rapidly approaching dotage, sorta like Driving Miss Daisy. And Michelle.
Parents and caregivers, take heed: the kids who want a racing video game because they say "But, Mama! It'll help me learn to drive!"
Total caca. The only way a kid is going to learn how to drive is: To. Drive. A. Real. Vehicle. Often, and with adult supervision.
Then maybe we all can take a little trip someday.
[img]http://www.mindspring.com/~markparrish/caravan.gif[/img]
Please proofread your posts carefully to see if you any words out.
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| 9 JUL 2007 at 4:07pm |
MarkGuild Master
Posts : 3803
Joined: 10 OCT 2002
Location: US, Georgia
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Advent.33 (9 JUL 2007 8:52am)
Whinger.
No, whiner.
Please proofread your posts carefully to see if you any words out.
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| 9 JUL 2007 at 4:12pm |
MaraPrivate Detective
Posts : 542
Joined: 6 JUL 2007
Status : Offline | I was wondering what a "whinger" was. :-?
Mara
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| 9 JUL 2007 at 4:30pm |
MarkGuild Master
Posts : 3803
Joined: 10 OCT 2002
Location: US, Georgia
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Mara (9 JUL 2007 4:12pm)
I was wondering what a "whinger" was.
I thought it was something that squeezed excess water out of laundry before hanging it out to dry.
Wait. No, that's a wringer.
Please proofread your posts carefully to see if you any words out.
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| 10 JUL 2007 at 11:21am |
MaraPrivate Detective
Posts : 542
Joined: 6 JUL 2007
Status : Offline | :-?
Mara
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| 12 JUL 2007 at 3:21am |
GhostSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 273
Joined: 31 JUL 2004
Status : Online | I'm always here, too...usually just loitering and not posting (hahaha!) - wow, can't believe how quiet the boards are since Caroline has gone on vacation! I do miss her good-natured ribbing, though.
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