Just don't pay attention

I guess for many women, facing 50 means empty nests or even grandchildren. Not me yet. Still got a teenager in the house, and tomorrow, that teenager starts driver's ed. What a bizarre experience--all of these years protecting a child and suddenly it's as if you douse him with lighter fluid and then toss him onto a bonfire while saying, "Just be careful, honey." I asked my mother how she ever survived seven children learning how to drive. She just laughed, and said, "Oh, I don't know. I guess I really didn't pay that much attention." So there it, the Great Parenting Secret: Just don't pay attention.