I just finished reading Joey's blog and while I enjoyed it immensely, it made me a little sad.

I remember those moments all too well, like they were yesterday in fact. I can remember the color of each kid's bike: Kaitlyn's was, of course, pink. Patrick had a batman bike and Kelli had a purple mountain bike! (I have to admit that it took 3 of us to come up with what color Kelli's really was...third child, what can I say?) I remember the excitement they each experienced when they took off on their wheels and for the first time in their young lives were free to move around the neighborhood on their own. Toothless smiles and happy giggles signaled the beginning of a new phase of life for all of us.

Why am I a little sad? Well, today I got the dreaded text message from Kelli: I GOT MY PERMIT!

Yes, my baby has her driver's permit.

She bounced into the car tonight smiling from ear to ear and talking at breakneck speed..."I have my permit, look I have my permit. It's really mine, can I drive the car now, please? Please mommy? (only calls me mommy when she really wants something!) Please, daddy? Coach says we need to drive all the time, I only had trouble with 3 questions and one of them was something about when I have to turn on my blinker and I narrowed it down to two choices and then I just guessed, but I passed! Yes, I passed. Please can I drive the car now? This is the happiest day of my life. Can I drive now, please daddy? I didn't think I would actually have it today but I got a text from Jessie and it said COACH HAS PERMITS. I went to his room after English and he gave it to me. Look, isn't this the greatest thing in the world? Look...it has my name on it. I can drive!" (all that in one breath I think!)

Jeff and I looked at each other with that defeated, "now we're in for it" parent look and I quickly said "No, we're tired and it's almost dark. You are not driving for the first time in the dark."

That didn't stop her...again in one breath "Please mommy, I've been waiting all my life for this moment. I will be a good driver. I know how to drive. I drove a golf cart. I drove the Barbie car. I can do it. Please daddy? You can't make me wait, this is soooo exciting and I can't wait to drive."

One of Kelli's "gifts" other than the gift of gab, is knowing how to effectively get what she wants. (third child, what can I say?) By this point we were so ready for her to stop talking that Jeff said "I'll take you up to the school and you can drive around the parking lot." The squeals could possibly have been heard around the world and she bounced out of the house, permit in tow, with her daddy, to drive for the first time.

Here's the deal...I taught the kids all kinds of stuff over the years and I made a proclamation early on that I was NOT going to teach them to drive! It's just too stressful and sends me over the edge. I've learned that it's not my forte and have passed all responsibilities of this to their dad. Bless his heart, he's made it through two of them and has somehow managed to find the strength to go for the third. They made it home safely from their first outing. Kelli came through the door first, still smiling and exclaimed "That was sooo cool. I love driving." Jeff followed her, looking not too green, and said "She did great, only hit 4 curbs." With that his eyes twinkled and he knew he'd pulled one over on me and said "She did great...we just coasted!"

It's 10:00 and my little driver is in bed dreaming of her next time behind the wheel. I'm here with my memories of my little ones riding their bikes and praying that they will stay safe as they drive cars. I dread having 3 of them out on the roads but know that these are the moments that life is made of and the moments that strengthen my faith.

This has nothing to do, at all, with autism. There are no connections, no grand lessons to be related, no excuses...just a glimpse into the life of a teacher and mom who is doing the best she can to navigate life as her children navigate the roads.