The Impending Doom of a Teen Driver Inspired These Magnets

There’s a strange mix of pride and panic that washes over you when your child hits a major milestone. For me, that moment arrived when my oldest son turned 15. Suddenly, the passenger seat I’ve always known him in felt like it was getting a whole lot emptier, and the driver's seat on the other side of the car felt menacingly close. The countdown to him getting his learner's permit had officially begun, and my anxiety was cranking up by the day.

Every time I’d see a student driver on the road, my heart would do a little flip-flop of empathy and future-dread. I pictured my son out there, navigating the wild world of traffic, and all the things that could go wrong. It’s a feeling I’m sure every parent of a teenager knows intimately. You’re excited for their independence, but you’d also prefer to wrap them in bubble wrap until they’re 25.

So, what’s a slightly stressed-out, creative mom to do? I decided to channel my nervous energy into what I do best: making things. If I had to be anxious, I figured I might as well make it funny for everyone else on the road. I needed a way to warn the world, with a bit of humor, that a brand-new driver was coming through.

That’s how the “Student Driver Deal With It” and “Student Driver Chill I'm Literally Learning” car magnets were born.

They started as a joke, a way for me to cope with the idea of my son driving. I wanted something that would make other drivers chuckle and maybe, just maybe, give him a little extra space and patience. It’s my passive-aggressive, humorous way of saying, “Please be nice to my kid, he’s trying his best!”

These magnets are for all the other parents out there who are entering this terrifying new chapter. They’re for the moments of deep breaths when your teen is behind the wheel, for the white-knuckled grips on the passenger-side door, and for the eventual, pride-filled release when they finally get it right.

If you’re in the same boat, just know you’re not alone. We’ll get through this, one anxiety-fueled driving lesson at a time. And if we can give a few people a laugh along the way, even better.

[Find a magnet for your own student driver (or your own sanity) in the Cady Creations collection today!]