The Back Seat

From the first day Maddie rode in a car home from the hospital, she's ridden in the back seat. Through car seats facing backwards, car seats facing forward, booster seats, and regular seat belts, she's always been in the back. As she grew older, others allowed her to ride in the front seat with them.

My dad lets her.

Her dad lets her.

Honey lets her.

Her grandmother lets her.

Basically, everyone EXCEPT me lets her.

And it drives her absolutely and completely batty.

I always tell her that it's because it's safer and that I love her more than anyone else- and that's why they let her ride in the front while I make her ride in the back.

That answer is always, always, always followed by a response of..................MoooooooooM!

This fact came up the other day when I was driving with my friend Debbie. She could not believe that I still made Maddie ride in the back seat. She said...........

Shannon, if she's old enough to start getting boobs, she's old enough to ride in the front seat. Seriously. She's 12, not 2.

The next morning on the way to school, I told Maddie what Ms. Debbie had said and she said...

I love that Ms. Debbie. She is so smart. You need to listen to her.

So then Maddie asked me.............

So Mom, when ARE you going to let me ride in the front seat?

After thinking for just a moment I said............

I'm thinking..........oh about 16 is good.

To which she replied...............

16? 16? Are you kidding me? Mom do you realize that at 15 I'll be able to learn to drive? How am I going to learn to drive..........from the back seat??????

And my response was...............

Haven't you ever heard of a back seat driver?