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Dear Reader,
Book club reader, Mary T., wrote in response to Tuesday's column, "I bet you'll get a ton of replies from your post on backseat drivers."--Mary T.
Yes Mary, indeed I did. Readers wrote my column for me today...
"Suzanne, I absolutely HATE to drive with my husband in the car unless he is dozing. Even then, every little bump and he wants to know what I'm doing--like rough places in the road are my fault!"--Laura R.
"I don't think it is necessarily a family backseat driver gene; I think it is that Y chromosome." Cheers,--Judy B.
"I am going through this with my 90-year-old dad. I have to bite my tongue and grit my teeth every time I take him somewhere, because I am 'not going the right way, this way is much better, why do you want to go to Wal-Mart? It's too big. You hit every red light. Why is that?' Sigh.... Girl, I need a bubble machine! LOL!"--Judi K.
"Hmmm, are we both married to the same man? The gene must extend way beyond just your family...."--Teresa
"I truly had to laugh at what you wrote this morning.... I've told my husband, the only way I will drive with him in the vehicle is if he is in the trunk, but since my vehicle is a SUV and doesn't have trunk, I tell him I can tie him to the roof. Needless to say he does all the driving when the two of us go anywhere."--Kathy
"Today's 'Dear Reader' gave me quite the wry smile. When I'm driving, I always have a plan for where we're going, best route to get there that varies by time of day (sometimes shortest isn't best) and even what lane I need to be in at what point.
My wife's plan is 'maximum left turns across the heaviest traffic,' from what I can discern. Actually, she admits she has no plan, it's just when she gets near a store on the list, she'll go there, even if she has to pass it again on the way home.
However, I'm between a rock and a hard place. If I suggest a route, then I'm backseat driving. If I don't, then I listen to a tirade about 'stupid drivers in her way.' On a couple of notable occasions, she's even found herself quite lost when going to some place where she said she knew she was going, then was upset with me for not saying anything.
Don't get me wrong, we do have a solid relationship. Though like you noted, it's a clash of styles when it comes to driving. :-)
Thank you for sharing the joy of reading."--Merritt
"I loved your column this AM. My husband was the same way, must be some kind of a male trait. One time, when he was a passenger, he opened the window to adjust the mirror. I asked him what he was doing and he said he couldn't see what was in the right lane. Really, you don't need to--I do. Leave my mirror alone. Or he would lean his seat back so when I looked over my right shoulder all I saw was him, not if anything was beside me. One time he even asked 'What are you looking at?' Yes, it is easier to let them drive and then we can enjoy the scenery and check out the neighborhood."--Gayle
"Loved your driving experience. It must be a male thing. I have been driving for over 40 years, with NO tickets, but evidently I don't know how to pay attention either. Sometimes, when I am passengering I yell at people, who cannot hear me, because the windows are up, and then my husband will yell at me not to yell at others, and 5 minutes later HE will yell at someone...but that's okay. We have been married 39 years and he is a great person, so we let it all slide."--Sherri
"When my husband drives he tells the drivers in the other vehicles how to drive!"--R.C.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
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