Teenage years are filled with new freedoms, ambitions, experiences, and discovery in many different areas. These new endeavors can cause overwhelming feelings especially felt when one turns 16. This is the year of being a sophomore, when curfews get later, and you’re only 2 years from being an official adult. It holds the most highly anticipated thing all 16 year olds long for: getting your driver’s license.
For some, getting your license is the very first taste of freedom and independence. Being able to drive your own car for the very first time with the windows down and the music on to the volume YOU want it is a feeling that most will remember for all of their lives. It is a first step into adulthood where you are in control of your destination. But as with any freedom, driving also comes with more responsibility.
Driving a 4,000 pound, potentially lethal machine down a highway at 65 miles an hour is a huge responsibility. The teenager must be physically, mentally and emotionally ready for that kind of commitment. It is both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. It is a gigantic leap into independence and maturity.
The process of getting and receiving your driver’s license is a great time for teenagers to learn greater responsibility such as being responsible with finances (paying for gas, food, when not with your parents), careful scheduling and time management (making sure you leave enough time to get to your destination safely and on time) and also taking care of people who are traveling with you to make sure that they are safe and comfortable.
Abby Rossini, ‘21 exclaimed that, “I’m really looking forward to getting food from Chipotle and
Canes whenever I want when I get my license. That way I don’t have to bother my parents to go out”.
Here at Providence, most students park in the middle and upper school parking lot. But once you have your license for a while and have reached senior year, you have the ability to park in the famous, or rather, infamous senior parking lot. Madisen Herman, ‘19 says, “I love the senior lot since its right by our lockers so it’s easy to get to our cars faster and to park. I think the four year wait was so worth it.” Whether it takes you one time or five times to get your license, it’s an event that you will always look back on with a smile.