Well, it's time to break out the bottle of L'Oreal gray hair covering solution again. My middle son just turned 15 1/2 and another of my offspring will soon be behind a steering wheel.

Will he be a safe, courteous driver, or will he set a new record for traffic school attendance?

I always wonder whether I should be upfront with the boys about my experiences when I was learning to drive. Should I tell them about the time I had my permit and my dad allowed me to drive the station wagon on a family vacation? Should I mention that that particular ride ended up with me over-correcting the steering wheel several times and my family sitting in stunned silence as I came to a rather abrupt stop in a ditch on the side of the road?

Luckily, they don't make you go to traffic school when you only have a permit.

Or should I mention the fact that I learned to drive in the days when big wedgie shoes with huge rubber soles were popular- and that my driver's ed teacher said it was OK to learn to drive barefoot? Should I then tell them that when I went for my driver's test at the DMV, the examiner insisted that I wear the aforementioned massive-soled footwear? Would I then have to confess how many times I ended up inadvertently slamming on the brakes with my unfamiliar footgear and that I did not pass the behind-the-wheel driver's test on my first try?

Or should I let them learn to drive under the pretense that their mother is one of the most skilled and knowledgeable drivers in the western United States, whose knowledge of traffic law is flawless, and who has never, and will never, make a mistake while behind the wheel?

If I confess that I have participated in traffic school nearly half a dozen times in my life, they might figure out pretty quickly that I am fibbing.

Next week another of my sons will begin conquering the world of driving. I just hope the stores are all stocked up on L'Oreal - medium brown.

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