15.5

Our second day of spring break also happened to be Tyler's half birthday. I took him to apply for his learner's permit today, and he passed the written exam.

Getting a license today is different than when I got mine. We had drivers' ed in school, which also meant it was free. It's no longer a school course. I'm still trying to decide on a driving school. So far they've ranged in price from $270-$360 for the 24 hour classroom work and 8 hours of in-car driving instruction. (Before he can get his license, he also has to complete 50 hours of driving with us.) The plan is to start the classes toward the end of April so he can have a few weeks of learning the basics with us first. He'll probably work on his in-car driving once he gets back from his dive trip in July - it usually takes several weeks to be able to schedule time anyway. He should finish everything in August and, if everything goes as planned, can take his test in September if he feels ready. I've heard people complain about how expensive it is to insure teenage drivers. They weren't kidding. Even with the "good student discount", our insurance premiums will double. And my worries probably will, too. Shouldn't he still be this age?!!

In honor of his half birthday, we also had cake. I didn't have enough candles to do 15.5, but we did stick with half the birthday song. I caught him mid bite.