That %&!!#@! bleeping car in front of you!

Teaching my teenage daughter to drive this week has prompted introspection about my own patience and courtesy toward other drivers. Naturally, my kid is not a very good driver... yet. I nervously ride shotgun, eagle-eyeing the mirrors and "offering helpful suggestions." As she slowly accelerates after stop signs, I see the impatient drivers behind us muttering complaints about her bad driving. Yesterday, she began a turn too late and ended up partially blocking a quiet country road. Yet, an angry and impatient woman in a battered wreck of a pickup truck shook her fist and yelled, "You shouldn't be driving! Get off the road!"

These experiences have made me realize that I'm often critical of drivers who I judge to be incompetent. Well, maybe they are incompetent. They may be brand-new drivers who are hesitant or even panicked.

I invite you to do as I'm going to do: whenever we're behind slow or indecisive drivers, let's quit being critical and assume that we're following someone who needs some patience and understanding.