I have just realized, in the past week or so, that next year I will very likely be swamped with driving all over kingdom come (that would be Northern Va.). I am spoiled. For the past 6 years I've had a teenage driver available to help chauffeur kids back and forth to activities, playdates and classes. I've had someone else run out to get milk or bread or Tylenol or whatever essential we are in desperate need of. But next year I will not have this! My college students will be gone and Josh, who should be driving by then will not, by virtue of his procrastination and the fact that I was depending on my husband to take care of that for me (and he didn't realize that was his job)!!! So no help for me. Unfortunately, being so spoiled I have gotten very used to this luxury and now am quite downcast at the thought of being so bereft of driving help!
Here's what I think I'm facing next year:
Monday - drive Becky to art class; then drive back and pick her up. Then 2x a month drive her to her AHG meeting and back home again.
Tuesday - drive to Latin class, drive to Chem class, drive to 4H meeting (1x a month - horrendous drive though right smack in the middle of rush hour traffic).
Wednesday - drive to Latin class, drive Josh and Sean to English (for Josh) and Drawing classes (possibly for both boys). Drive Josh to CLC and back again at 9:30 at night.
Thursday - God willing, I'll be helping to run an Aquinas Learning Center, so I'll drive there at the beginning of the day and back at the end. That's not so bad. At least I'm in one place for most of the day!
Friday - Drive Josh to Chem class and back.
This does not include other various 4H events, tennis lessons, playdates, grocery runs, drs. appts, SAT prep class, etc.
I know I shouldn't complain. I had 5 children 11 and under and I remember having to drive places all the time with kids in diapers or potty training, who regularly got car sick, etc, etc. Actually those days are kind of hazy. I blocked them out. But back then, I'd only let myself have maybe two days with lots of driving. The rest of the time I tried to stay close to home. Because driving stresses me out.
I am old now, 51 as a matter of fact and I'm feeling my age! And the idea of it all seems very daunting!
Okay, end of whine!
Oh my goodness -- my third child hasn't started driving yet and I hate the times when my two oldest are away from home can't do the running around for me, and about all the running around we do is music lessons. We live in the Northern Neck about 45 minutes from Fredericksburg and the traffic there is so horrendous I try not to go there more than a couple of times a month. The few times I had to go uptown were awful -- I feel for you!
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