Big Day for Favourite Daughter

After months of erratic practice and in-car conflicts, today was the day Favourite Daughter went for her phase 2 driving test.
FD rejected our advice over the last few months to have 1-2 lessons with a driving instructor to identify any problems or behaviours that we, mere mortal parents, may have overlooked, or worse, passed on.
While acknowledging it was a good idea, a ploy I now recognise as paying lip service, FD never did have a paid lesson.
Which is not to say that she can't drive, she can, in fact she's improved out of sight over the last few weeks as she's grabbed every opportunity to get behind the wheel. But, getting a driver's license is a lot tougher than it used to be, a fact I'm not unhappy about considering the high rate of fatalities amongst young drivers, and I knew a couple of paid lessons would have been wise and useful.

So, to the long awaited day. I met her at the post office, gave her some last minute reminders, "stop completely at stop signs, don't speed under any circumstances, if you run someone over stop and check that they're OK before continuing on with the test" just simple common sense stuff. Then I prayed for her, mostly to help calm the butterflies in her stomach, and reminded her that lots of people don't pass their test the first time, hoping to cushion the blow if it came.

Ian the license tester was straight out of the license tester caricature book, gruff, lined face, hunched shoulders, mumbling voice, officious approach. For example, he was not prepared to accept that just because my car had a May registration sticker that it was still registered! Sure enough, onto the phone to headquarters to check the legality of my car.
"What's that? It expired two days ago?"
oh oh!
This didn't look good!
Don't get upset I told FD, it's my fault!!

Then, a stroke of good fortune. He gave the car the all clear, the 3rd party insurance runs for another 12 days, we could proceed!

Note to blogger: Renew rego when you get home!!

After further checks of indicators, brake lights and tyres (so glad I bought those new tyres last month, probably wouldn't have liked that bald one that had been on the front passenger side!) they were off. My little girl, now a legal adult, off to face her demons.

I prayed again then wandered in to the newsagent to browse.
It would be at least 30 minutes, probably longer.

Sat on the bench reading the paper when Favourite Daughter reappeared, smiling sheepishly.

"Dad, I passed!"

Fantastic, well done, BIG HUG.

"I don't know how I passed! I made so many mistakes. He said I just scraped in!"

Doesn't matter, you must have done well enough to pass. Congratulations.

"Do you have $20 so I can get my log book?"

I should have known! She'll be wanting to borrow the car next!

Actually, what comes next is 25 hours of supervised driving logged in her log book before the hazard perception test and the final stage when she gets her P plates. It took her 12 months to get this far so who knows how long that will take?

No, I know it won't take long, she's keen as mustard and I know exactly how she feels, I couldn't wait to get my license and booked mine in on my 17th birthday, the first available opportunity.

Now she just has to convince her mother to get back in the car with her!!!