Recommend DC driving lessons for anxious teen

[Anonymous]

My older teen wants to get their DC license this summer before their learners permit expires. We have taken them out driving many times, so they know the basic skills, but they are very nervous about driving. They need more general practice to build confidence as well as to learn advanced skills like parallel parking. We'd love to hire an instructor who will be supportive and can walk them through exactly what will be on the test and take them out on a similar route near the DMV. I'd really appreciate any recommendations for DC companies and instructors!

[Anonymous]

This is parents’ job. Drive with your kid

[Anonymous]

We used I Drive Smart but no driving school is going to take the place of the hours you need to practice with your kid. We drive with them much more than the driving instructor and just hired them because it was required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is parents’ job. Drive with your kid

They did that. Sometimes the parent / kid dynamic isn’t as effective for something stressful like this as having a professional instructor who has no emotional ties to you. It was a LOT easier for me to learn from a driving instructor than my anxious mom who kept freaking out and giving confusing directives

[Anonymous]

We're in Virginia but had a great experience with I Drive Smart - they are former police and know what they're doing from a driver safety standpoint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is parents’ job. Drive with your kid

They did that. Sometimes the parent / kid dynamic isn’t as effective for something stressful like this as having a professional instructor who has no emotional ties to you. It was a LOT easier for me to learn from a driving instructor than my anxious mom who kept freaking out and giving confusing directives

+1 My mom used ghost brake with her feet and brace herself a lot. I was very focused on her movements. My parents ended up getting me a bunch of lessons with a particular instructor. It was no cure for my anxiety, but it gave me enough confidence to pass the test.

In the end, long drives were what helped me the most and GPS driving instructions felt like a miracle. I have a pretty bad sense of direction and used to be so scared of getting lost.