Once your children grow old, you can’t help but teach them how to drive even when they tell you that they are already old enough to know what they’re doing.
I have three sons who are already grown up and are professionals now. And they have all seen my colorful experiences in the local motoring world since I started way back in 2005.
My youngest, Juan Miguel, was the one who was so keen with the cars that he always made it a point to tag along when I competed in fun driving events whenever it was possible. He was oozing with happiness when he was allowed back then to go along on an out-of-town drive by some car companies.
He was also given the opportunity by JP Tuason to learn the rudiments of karting when he was old enough to ride a kart. I can still remember (and yes even Aileen of Tuason Racing School) when a boy whom he had beaten by out-lapping him twice cried so hard right after their one-on-one test duels at the track.
The eldest, Juan Raphael, was the first to get his professional driving license after a few days of learning how to drive courtesy of his best friend. My second son, Juan Carlos, was the last one to apply for a driving license after seeing Juan Miguel had already acquired one. He also learned how to drive courtesy of the driver of his girlfriend.
You see, I didn’t lift a single finger to teach them how to drive since I have asked them to go to a driving school in order to learn the basics and the rudiments of driving.
I promised this to myself when I underwent basic racing-driving first under Coach Vip Isada. After those few hours of learning “how to really drive,” I was so surprised that all that I have learned from a friend on how to drive was far from what it should have been. I had to throw all what I had learned before out of the window and I promised to myself that my kids need to learn it the proper way.
I encouraged them to learn how to drive but asked them to enroll in a driving school. But they quietly turned a deaf ear and secretly asked their friends to teach them how to drive. By the time I asked each of them the status of their enrollment, they had already shown me their respective driving licenses.
I just chuckled and remembered how I got my own driving license. My late father, Paquito, was my idol in driving but he never allowed or even taught me how to drive. He used to say that I need not drive, being a hot-tempered one. But, nevertheless, I was able to learn driving when a college friend, who was able to sneak out their family’s Volkswagen Beetle, eagerly taught me how to drive provided I bought the gas P150.
Learning from a friend how to drive is a big difference from learning to drive from a reputable driving school. This is what I told my 3 sons especially when I started going out with them one by one, with each of them handling the wheel.
That’s when I taught them the “proper driving techniques” that I have acquired from the professionals and not from a friend who taught me how to drive. It’s good that they have all been very attentive whenever I correct their driving style every once in a while.
I am very happy now that they have imbued what I’ve given and taught them since I can even take a nap onboard while I am driving.