Parenting Teens

I have one teenager who’s THIS close to getting his license, and another that’s already nagging for her learner’s permit, despite the fact I made her brother wait longer than his friends before getting his. So clearly, driving is a regular topic of conversation around these parts. And it’s terrifying. I mean, I’ve ridden in the passenger seat with my son behind the wheel for the past year, and it’s TERRIFYING. I’m a little bit of a control freak (stop laughing) and it’s hard for me to give that tendency up and make sure the Boy is relaxed and paying attention and doing what he needs to do: learning.

But we’ve survived so far - in a beat up old 95 jeep, that he was sweet enough to buy from me yesterday so that I could get a 93 jeep that’s in much better condition to haul his siblings around. Yes, I sold my son the crappy car that he’ll tear up anyway, to get myself a better one. Sue me. Point is, he’s ready and raring to go - the minute the roads are clear, he’s road test and independent driving bound…

Heaven help us all.

Or maybe, just Ford. Have you heard about MyKey? It’s a pretty nifty little device that Ford’s about to launch in the newest 2010 Ford Focus and other models. What it does is allow the parent to set some limits on their teen driver. It warns them when they’re low on fuel, when they’ve forgotten their seatbelt. It also can be programed to have a “top speed” that your teen can drive, with warning chimes at certain levels. It can even limit the volume of the radio.

Check it out:

If you have more questions, Ford will be having a question and answer forum Tuesday, Feb 24th, at noon EST. You can join in and ask your questions here: Talk to the Experts.

Would I actually use something like this with my kids? I’m not sure. I’m on the fence on it - but since I’m not in the position of getting him a brand new car anyway, I can postpone such a decision. Whether you choose to use MyKey for your kids or not, as with every subject here, I encourage you to TALK to your kids first. They won’t rail against the limitations as much if they know they’re there, why they are there, and understand where your coming from with the installation. Sure, they might not like it, and I expect that some smarty pants kid hacker will find a way around it sooner rather then later, but still. Talk to your kids.

Then tell them to turn that noise down, already! Srsly! Kids these days. They call THAT music? Why, back in my day…