Driver's Ed

For a good while now, Alex has understood that you stop at a red light and go at a green light.  The concept that you can turn right on a red light if the opportunity presents itself is one that he cannot wrap his little brain around.  I guess I'll cut him some slack since he's only 3, but seriously.  How many times do I have to explain something before he gets it?

If we take the normal way home, we stop before turning right at the same red light every single day.  And every single day, he scolds me from the back seat for not waiting for it to turn green.  Most days, I try to explain that turning right at a red light is allowed, but then other days, I just agree and say I'm sorry.

Last night was no exception to this little ritual.  The light was red.  I stopped.  Waited for a break in traffic and turned when I could.  The light was still red.  And with that, the lecture from my little backseat driver started.  On and on about how I'm supposed to wait for it to turn green and that I'm supposed to stop at red lights.  And red lights mean stop, only green lights mean you can go.  But then he finished the lesson with something new.  After telling me the rules, he paused and then asked, "Do you want to try again tomorrow?"

After I managed to quell my laughter, I said that yes indeed I would like another shot.  I figured that was the end of it and we moved on to discussing whether we had beaten Travis home or not.  I figured wrong.

This morning we were coming up on a red light and Alex reminded me that I needed to slow down and stop.  You'd think he could feel the truck slowing down as I applied the brake, but apparently he needed verbal confirmation as well.  So I said that I was in fact slowing down.  I waited for the light and upon it turning green, we started back out on our journey.

Not one second after I started driving again with the green light, Alex excitedly pipes up from the back seat, "Good job Mommy!  You waited for the green light!"  Thanks for the encouragement Mario Andretti.