Edit: My father is a little disappointed or maybe sad that I don’t drive. My mother too
I drive. I like driving. I have apparently always liked the car – as an infant my parents would throw me in my car seat and drive up and down the road to make me fall asleep – though I am very, very, very much not a “car person”.
I still didn’t get my license until I was 18, though, because learning to drive was very stressful for me. But once I got a handle on it, I think I’ve become rather good at it.
I can drive, but I’m like a sponge for everyone’s road rage — I don’t often get angry myself but all that negative energy just drains the shit out of me, I have an autistic meltdown almost every time I drive.
I stopped driving regularly about 20 years ago (10 years before I was diagnosed with autism) and I saw a huge reduction in my day to day stress.
About 15 years ago, I moved to a city where I can walk or bike everywhere, and driving just isn’t an issue. Highly recommended.
When I moved to Europe everyone said (and continues to say) that I really need to have a car. It’s not just my family, it’s friends, colleagues, acquaintances… Strangers on the train. I did transfer my license and have rented a car a handful of times to move furniture or clean up after moving out of my last place.
Everyone here is convinced I need a car for my daily life, but my kids, my spouse, and I all have bikes. We have a large bike trailer for big purchases at a distance, and we can do what we need to do in town or on the trains. I don’t see the point in owning, fueling, and maintaining a beast of a machine just for some minor conveniences.
In Slovenia, it’s hell without a car. You could go to school without a problem, since the whole infrastructure is designed around it, but driving to work in an industrial part of town … NO, fuck you. Even the college route is shit, but driving in Ljubljana in rush hour and parking somewhere is even worse, so I will have to deal with it.
I drive, but that’s because I live in the US where most cities have shit public transit.
Also, I haven’t seen to my crazy ass judgemental Trumper parents in 5 years, so that’s not a problem for me.
Why would it hurt someone’s parents that they don’t drive ? feels like such a strong choice of words.
In most of the US, Canada and other pathologically car-centric societies, driving isn’t really optional, with no public transit options to speak of. So someone not driving would lead a very dependent and limited life. I don’t know where OP is from, but I guess that’s their case. That’s not the case for most of rest of the urban areas of the world.
Disappointment in your life accomplishments and/or annoyance from having to drive their adult child places themselves.
They want space and time alone. For the kid to go out and be social.
And to be independent. If said kid(assuming 18+) doesn’t drive and the parents have to drive them everywhere it’s going to get old quick.
What, I drive with my parents often. It isn’t really problematic, but I do drive myself when I need/want to.
You have your parents drive you places or you tag along when they go out? Big difference…you also said you do drive yourself when you want/need. So not the same thing as OP.
I drive. I was super excited to. When I was 14 I started mentally preparing. I would pay attention to street names and intersections and directions, which lanes did which. I spent time on an early version of Google Maps practicing navigation- how to get from my house to my friend’s house, the school, my grandparents, the mall, etc. I would walk or ride my bike and try to purposefully explore and learn the entire southern half of my city and suburbs. I got a copy of the state-issued driver’s manual and read it multiple times. I bought a cheap MadCatz Mini racing wheel + pedals for the PS1/2 and practiced using it in tons of games- Grand Theft Auto, Mercenaries, NASCAR Thunder, Gran Turismo, etc. I went and took the test to get my Learner’s Permit the very first day I could. I was a year younger than most of my friends, but still one of the first to get a license.
I drove a lot until I was almost 30, when the pandemic hit. Then I started working from home. I had recently got a relatively new xar in 2018, but my wife’s car waa old, so she started using mybcse mostly. One day I went to start her car and found an electrical issue. After a bunch of investigating… We went down to 1 car, and her old car is still sitting in our garage, waiting to be traded in whenever we do get around to buying our next car.
Furthermore, my retina in my dominant eye detached itself. I had surgery to re-attach it. It was successful, but my vision in that eye is only about half of what it once was, and my brain swapped to my other eye. I can drive, both legally and safely, but I do sometimes struggle to read street names or exit signs. So nowadays I mostly just drive the same familiar local streets that I know.
Also my wife gets carsick as a passenger, so even before all that she would often insist on driving.
I tend to drink less than most people so i’m occasionally DD.
I got a driver’s license but drive as little as possible (practically never). My parents think it’s good that I got it and are sure there will be a point where I will be very glad that I have it, but I don’t think the time and money will ever pay itself back. Trains are just better.
I ride motorcycles. If you mean has it hurt my parents in the sense of transporting them, no, they have their own car. If you mean has it hurt my parents in some abstract parental/emotional sense, maybe, they seem quite pushy and always ask “when are you thinking of getting a car”, “you need a car”, “what about when you have a family”, etc.
I will never use a car as my primary transport, too big, too heavy, too boring, on a bike I can squeeze through traffic, go through twisties, learn to maintain my own vehice, all being far cheaper than owning a cage.
I’ll likely get a car license at some point, if I ever need to move stuff, but that’d only be short-term rentals.
I drive. I used to drive a school bus, too. Basically can drive anything on wheels so long as it’s not hauling toxic waste.
By toxic waste do you mean your ex?
Literally toxic waste. No biohazard endorsement. But I also wouldn’t drive my ex on principle.
I don’t. I tried learning but it was overwhelming and stressful and I didn’t want to make a scene, so I quit.
My parents thought it was (both dead now, they didn’t change their minds) pathetic and stupid that I don’t drive. They also assumed a bunch of shitty things about why I quit the lessons too.
I have a license. I enjoy driving. But if I generally only do it if I’m going to another city or doing someone a favor (I don’t drink and don’t like loud places like pubs but I seem to find myself around them a lot lol)
I need to drive where I live.
It is kind of liberating for me. Plus I don’t get motion sickness/vertigo if I’m the driver, unlike being a passenger. I follow the rules so well (unlike everyone else on the road), one of my favourite ways to unwind is driving with music.
That said, going out costs money. I cant afford to go on a Sunday drive…
I don’t drive. I used to, but I’m not fucking rich, and I don’t want to kill anyone. I can walk, so I do that. Just moved to a place with busses. They even run sometimes, too!
If I told my mom, I’m sure she’d quietly nag me about it every time we interacted. She’s got a very right/wrong dichotomous viewpoint, and driving is good, while having to walk is for those with moral failings (like poverty!).
Forget your parents emotions. This is likely hardest on you. Hopefully they will help you find other ways of getting around.
I have a license and access to a car. I’m in America so I sort of have to.
