Matthew Stanislawski

As a teenager getting your permit is one of the most exciting things because you get a little taste of independence and that adult life. When I got my permit at 16 years old I didn’t have my own car, but I practiced on my mom’s car. It was pretty difficult because she drives a big bulky Escalade. My parents never bought any of us kids a car, but they did give us a deal and for a good reason. They told us if they just buy us something we won’t be as responsible with it. But if we worked for it we would be more careful with it cause we used our money to buy it. They told us however much money we made they’d match half of it, so they still pitched in which is nice.

     I wasn’t able to pay for my car a couple months before I turned 18. The first time I drove it I was extremely nervous but excited at the same time. I got a pretty good deal on it too. It was a 2012 BMW that was used but it was kept in good condition. It was so much easier parking my car versus my mother’s big Escalade but that brakes were way more sensitive. I would barely touch on them and it would be the comparison of me slamming on the brakes on my mom’s car. After I got used to it I loved the car, other than the black interior that is. Although it looks nice, it doesn’t mesh well with the hot Texas sun in the summer. I was pretty much ready to take my driving test but I had to learn one more thing.

When I was younger I saw my dad do something I thought was illegal at the time because it was so bizarre. We were in Dallas and he had to perform a parallel park. It seemed so complicated and dangerous I never wanted to try and do something like that. Unfortunately in Texas it is required by the state that it’s a part of the driving Texas. I will probably never go to Dallas but I still have to learn this maneuver . Practicing it was pretty difficult and frustrating because I never got the momentum of it down. Once I finally got it I felt so satisfied and went to take my test. I passed easily and was so glad because I thought I would mess up the parallel parking part. Once I got my license I felt one step closer to becoming an adult and feeling like I have more freedom.