The truth about teen driving skills

We were on vacation last week. (Did you miss me? I missed you.) On the long way home, my son came up with a plan after he saw my husband and I switch places in the driver's seat. He thought it would be a great idea for all of us to take turns driving, as he was fairly certain that he could sit on my lap (since he can't reach the pedals) and steer.

Hahahahahahahaha. No.

(That was my reaction.)

He wasn't phased, however, and reminded me that he would be "driving before I knew it."

That got me to stop laughing.

I know that when the time comes for my son to start driving, I will have to check myself to make sure that my reactions (ohmygod-ohmygod-ohmygod) don't negatively impact his confidence. I'll also have to make sure that I try to assess his skills accurately.

This small study points out that many parents rate their children's driving skills based solely off their results on the driving test and their basic vehicle knowledge, but they forget to assess other skills that aren't tested to get a driver's license: risk management, visual awareness and anticipation of other drivers.

So then the question becomes how do you help your child practice those skills? If you have any ideas, I'd love to see them in the comments.