I could not wait for the day I turned 16, to get my drivers license. It meant freedom and liberation from the rules and confinement of home. Mom had told me to take the car and go to school after the test.
I had taken a friend with me as I had what was then called a 365 temporary license. The first mistake of the day was to follow the instructor around as he was testing others. He spotted me, and probably failed me on that first try just for that reason. The second mistake of the day was that we did not go to school that day, but drove around instead. Mom was just a little bit brighter than me, and called the school to see if we were there. Dad set me straight that day.
Often teens mistakenly assume that once they are as big as adults they no longer have to do what they are told. For years they have looked forward to being their own boss, and they may try to celebrate their liberation far ahead of schedule.
Many young people are shocked to discover that a person never really gets to a place in life where he or she has no rules to keep, no limits to observe, no boundaries for his her behavior. Some young people find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that we are always under someone’s authority. We will always have rules to keep, laws to obey, bosses and stockholders to please, or boards to whom we must give an account.
Therefore if your young person is going to experience personal happiness and be even moderately successful in achieving their goals in life, they need to learn how to get along with people in authority and come to terms with the inevitability of limits.
What better place is there for helping them learn these valuable lessons in life than home? What more appropriate teachers could they have than their own parents?