Well, it’s taken me two days to recover from the mere experience, but our eldest daughter got her driver’s permit on Wednesday. It was, of course, the FIRST day she was eligible to take the written test. Why wait around? In AZ they have to have the permit for six months before they can take the driving test… so six months to the day … it went down.
Larisa read the driver’s manual aloud…. all the way to Anaheim a few weeks back. It was like a little refresher course for her father and I. We had many a discussion about laws, signs, rules, etc. She decided to take the online practice test to see how she would do. Well, she passed with flying colors…. 90% and announced that she was indeed ready to hit the MVD. I wisely suggested that she take it again… at only $1 a pop, I considered it a wise use of funds. Well, seems the second test was a little more tricky than the first and she did not pass with flying colors. So $1 test number three was purchased and taken. Again, a pass. OK, I was convinced.
Off to the MVD we drove with the boys in tow, just to keep me on my motherly toes with child raising and discipline in public areas. Good grief. Well, it seems that you have to have your social security number to get a driver’s permit these days. They have also renamed them a tax identification number, probably because there won’t be security for Larisa’s social group after they pay all their taxes. Anyway, we didn’t have the number with us so I called my sister-in-law, Julie, who lives across the street from us and asked her to go and have a looksie at our house for the tax identification card with the solid gold number on it.
That all sounded easy and nice, but not only do we not have a normal filing system but our phones are acting up. So I explain to Julie that the card could be in three files: Linda’s Important Papers, or Rick’s Important Papers, or An Aviator’s Important Papers (that one was created because Rick wanted to have the first file in the cabinet so he wouldn’t have to strain and look all the way back through the alphabetical files to R) While I’m talking the phone is cutting in and out and she can only hear me if she is downstairs. The file cabinet is upstairs. After four of five calls, runs up and down the stairs, and files, the card is not there. So I send her to file place #2.. the adoption file box. I suggest the files: Important Papers and also Passports. Obviously we don’t want to make it easy for an identity thief by labeling the file Social Security Cards. Duh.
Julie did find both boy’s cards, but not Larisa’s. Meanwhile, Larisa and I are sitting at the desk of the most patient Harley Davidson-loving woman on earth…. while my cell phone keeps ringing and I keep giving more instructions. She actually took a ten minute break while all this nonsense was transpiring. God bless her biker soul.
Finally, I suggest that Julie look for tax files. These are not in a filing cabinet. That would be too obvious a location for tax FILES. They are in sealed lumpy manila envelopes in Rick’s dresser. Yes, his clothes dresser…. I’ll refrain from commenting on this situation. Anyway, Julie did locate a past year and found the right paper, and that’s when we discovered the number name discrepancy. After confirmation from the Harley lover, we did indeed get Larisa’s number and she was off to take the test. She passed! Whooooo HOooooo!
Note the lady using her hands and yelling at me:
Are you wondering about my boys’ behavior? Momentarily it was deplorable and I separated them by 15 feet and made them sit by unkept tattooed strangers. I did not care about stranger danger at that point. I thought a few dangerous moments might prove beneficial for my boys.
We also found out, the hard way, that you are not permitted to take flash photography at the MVD. Oh well.
So here is my advice to you and your 15.5 year old:
1. Bring your SS#/Tax Identification Number with you
2. Leave siblings at home
3. Don’t take flash photography, it’s embarrassing when the lady yells at you, “You better not be putting that on youtube!” :o)
My Sister's Jar 