Licensing

Graduated Licensing

Copyright (c) 2002 by Kenny Felder

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."

- Stacia Tauscher

"Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves."

- C.S. Lewis

My nephew Chris is 16 years old, and he is a really good kid. He gets good grades in school, works hard at his job making backyard decks, and roller skates so well he has been paid to make promotional videos. But Chris has one fatal flaw: he respects the system and plays by the rules. When the rules stop making sense, that can get him in trouble.

This past July 4, Chris spent the evening at the beach. As usual, he thought the whole thing through. He brought plenty of money in case of emergencies. He brought a cell phone in case he had to call his Mom. And he gave himself plenty of time to drive home before midnight. This last precaution was critical because, as a 16-year-old, Chris is not legally allowed to drive after midnight.

Then, on his way home, Chris got a flat tire. It was dark, and he was inexperienced—it took him an hour before the tire was changed and he was ready to go. And by then, there was no way for Chris to get home by midnight. If it had been me, I would have just driven home, and crossed my fingers that no one caught me. But Chris doesn't work that way. He called his mother, and explained that he couldn't drive home. They agreed that the only reasonable thing for Chris to do was to find a nearby hotel and stay there until morning—or at least until 5:00, when he was allowed to drive again. Fortunately, there were plenty of hotels nearby with vacancies.

But this is where the story gets really comical. The hotels wouldn't take him. Why? Because—you guessed it—he was under eighteen years old. I don't know if it's a business policy or a law, but for whatever reason, no hotel was willing to rent a room to a sixteen-year-old with a fistful...