upworthy

Sarah Kovac

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Take a deep breath. Now let's teach that teen of yours how to drive.

Wasn't it just last week you were waving a tearful goodbye for your child's first day of preschool?

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Hum by Verizon

Somehow, the years have rushed by, and now your kid is ready for another milestone: learning how to drive.

Your son or daughter might be ready, but are you?

Putting a teenager behind the wheel can feel like a scary thing. Not only do you possibly worry about trusting your kid, but also there are a myriad of other drivers on the road who may lack good decision-making skills.


Handing over the keys under these conditions is often stressful even for the most chill parent.

Image via iStock.

Just enter the words "how to teach my teen to drive" into your browser and count how many articles caution you to "not do it" or to "be warned." But for a lot of parents, the experience — while challenging — isn't that terrible. In fact, some even look back on the experience fondly.

Plus, technology makes it easier than ever before for us to stay connected with our kids. It wasn't all that long ago that teenagers would go out for the night with no cellphone or way to get help in an emergency. Parents today also have access to devices like Hum that can help if your teen runs into trouble. The Emergency Assistance feature connects you to an agent if you have an emergency on the road — and can even automatically send help if a collision is detected — and if your teen gets a flat or their battery dies, they can let help know exactly where they are using Pinpoint Roadside Assistance.

But even with all of our technology, parents have lots of worries when it comes to our kids, and driving is a big one.

To that end, we've rounded up nuggets of wisdom from parents around the internet who have been there and have survived the experience:

1. Start "leading by example" early.

2. Customize your teaching style to your kid.

3. Remember that nobody learns without making a few mistakes along the way.

4. Practice responding to an emergency — when there isn't one.

At some point in their life, your teen's going to drive in bad weather or encounter an accident on the road. Having them practice for difficult driving situations ahead of time can help them prepare.

"With the car up to speed, give the order to turn abruptly and keep accelerating; sharp cornering and even skidding in a controlled environment beats doing those things in an emergency," advises Joe Bargmann on Popular Mechanics.

"Teach them to keep their eyes fixed on where they want to go (as opposed to fixating on a curb they don't want to hit)."

5. Enjoy it! This time you'll spend together can be a beautiful memory for you both.

6. Don't take yourself too seriously.

"Stay positive and make it fun. Your teen is going to screw up a lot while learning to drive. You're going to screw up a lot while teaching your teen to drive," writes one father of four teenagers on Boys Town.

"Be willing to laugh at yourself when you overreact to a mistake. Make them comfortable by joking around with them about the things they do wrong. It can be a wonderful bonding experience if you focus on the good things they do and laugh off the bad."

7. Know it is so worth it.

Like most intimidating endeavors, having taught your teenager how to drive is very rewarding for both parties (and not just because of all the free time not driving your teen everywhere will free up).

8. Consider getting your teen invested in the process … literally.

9. Think of it like a crazy trust exercise.

Conquering a challenge together can be lots of fun.

The greatest achievements in life are hard won. While teaching your teenager to drive might trigger some strong emotions, working through those to give your child the gift of independence will be worth it.

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Starbucks U.K. trained its staff to be more parent-friendly. Here's what that means.

Get ready for emergency diapers and bottle-warming services.

As if we needed another reason to love Starbucks: It's making a major effort to welcome and support parents and their babies.

If you're a parent, you've probably been here: You’re exhausted and sleep-deprived and all you want from life is a caramel Frappuccino, but you don’t feel like enduring the stares and/or comments you’ll receive if, heaven forbid, your little one needs to cry or nurse while you’re sucking in that sweet life force through a green straw.

... so you endure a sad, sad Frappuccino-less day.



GIF via “The Office.”

But Starbucks U.K. gets it. It's collaborating with the National Childbirth Trust to make every Starbucks in the U.K. (that’s 800+ Starbucks) parent-friendly.

The National Childbirth Trust created its Parent Friendly Places Charter to recognize organizations that have committed to welcoming parents and being responsive to parents’ needs.

“We want all of our customers to have a good experience at Starbucks,” Rhys Iley, vice president of operations for Starbucks EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), said in a press release. “And we recognize that parents out on their own with very young children, sometimes for the first time, appreciate some support.”

Photo via Starbucks, used with permission.

What does it mean to be “parent-friendly”?

Emergency diapers, help when you need it, and improved store design with parents in mind.

“We know from our members, that many struggle with unwanted attention and comments on their feeding method whether it’s by breast, bottle or in a high chair, when out and about with their baby or child,” Dr. Sarah McMullen, head of research and quality at NCT, said in a press release. “It’s important that parents feel reassured they have the support of staff and won’t be judged.”

Forgot your diaper bag? Need a bottle warmed? Can’t find a seat or need help carrying something? Starbucks’ U.K. staff have now been trained to be there for parents when they need it most: when they’re venti tired and need a break.

GIF via “The Lego Movie.”

I'm a Starbucks fiend and breastfeeding mama who rarely takes her kids out in public because it's too stressful, so this would be a game-changer for me (and for groggy parents everywhere).

Bravo, Starbucks U.K.

Hopefully this is the start of a corporate trend that will find its way to the States sooner rather than later.

GIF via U.S. Women's Soccer.

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Check out Tommy Hilfiger's clothing line for kids with disabilities.

This adaptive clothing line is an awesome step in the right direction.

Tommy Hilfiger just made news by announcing a new line of adaptive kids’ clothing for the spring.

“What the heck is adaptive clothing?” you might be asking. Precisely. The term sounds foreign because no large companies have sold that type of clothing ... until now.

People with disabilities don’t fit into clothing the same way able-bodied people do. They can’t button and zip the same way. They can’t wiggle into (or out of) clothing like others can.


tv comedy seinfeld kramer jerry seinfeld

GIF via "Seinfeld."

Mindy Scheier is a fashion designer who understands that struggle. So she decided to do something about it.

Her son, Oliver, has a rare type of muscular dystrophy. When he was 8, he started caring more about what he wore and whether it looked like his friends’ clothes. Zippers and buttons presented a problem for him, and his leg braces limited his options.

Mindy and Oliver. Photo via Runway of Dreams, used with permission

There are a few specialized adaptive clothing companies, such as Buck & Buck and Izzy Camilleri, but Oliver wanted to wear normal jeans like the rest of the kids he knew.

His mom saw a problem and realized she was in the perfect position to find a solution. She founded Runway of Dreams, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making fashion accessible to people of all abilities. And her hard work has started paying off.

Mindy persuaded Tommy Hilfiger to team up with Runway of Dreams, and their accessible clothing collection is now available for order.

The accessible clothes feature magnets in place of zippers and buttons, pants with adjustable hems and openings for leg braces, and shirts that can magnet closed in the back, which is awesome for caregivers of children with special needs.

Oliver even got to take part in the photo shoot for the new line. Photo by Richard Corman, used with permission.

“Clothing can empower,” Scheier said in a press release. “Clothing can create confidence, clothing can make a difference.” Amen, Mindy.

This is a huge flipping deal, folks.

I have a disability myself, and my hands don’t work so well. I remember getting a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans in high school. I was crazy excited to be wearing the same jeans the cool kids wore because I usually had to wear baggy pants with elastic waistbands.

Exhibit A. Photo by Sarah Kovac, used with permission.

Shockingly, I got picked on for my frumpy off-brand clothing on more than one occasion. That's why I loved my new Hilfiger jeans so much. I was so proud to wear them, but the button made them very difficult for me to get on and off. I had to have my mom button them for me in the morning, so I had wait to use the bathroom until I got home from school. I just didn’t drink any fluids all day.

When a young person (or any person) is forced to choose between wearing clothes that she likes and using the restroom at some point during the seven-hour school day, something needs to change.

sistersmovie  movie amy poehler tina fey sisters

GIF via "Sisters."

For a person with a physical disability, getting dressed can be super difficult. Finding clothes you can wear AND like is nearly impossible.

As you can imagine, for a child just learning to assert their independence and sense of style, these fashion limitations are embarrassing and frustrating. Kids with disabilities already feel different enough without having to wear awkwardly fitting clothes.

I’m so stoked about what Runway of Dreams is doing, and that Tommy Hilfiger stepped up to give kids with disabilities the chance to feel good in clothes that actually work for them.

Let’s hope this is just the beginning for accessible clothing and that other clothing brands see that people of all abilities like to wear nice things.