There’s a sweet reason dads want to teach their daughters to drive

Many of us are taught by friends, siblings or our mums… but most of the time it’s dads place to teach the driving.

Although most experiences of learning how to drive end up in a screaming match as you’re being shouted such things as ‘you’re dangerous,’ ‘slow down,’ ‘you went far too close to the curb,’ ‘mind the bloody pedestrian!’ (don't forget to add the necessary expletives) all while thinking ‘well I could avoid them if I knew how to drive pal.’ However, despite the initial horror of taking your first spin, it only gets better. Just think of the freedom of hopping into the car and whisking yourself off on an adventure away from all the fuss. But aside from the perks, have you ever wondered why so many of us are taught to drive by dad? Irish car insurance ItsForWomen.ie asked psychotherapist and counsellor David Horan – from DublinSouthCounselling.com -  why this is. He explained,

“Dad is often the person who teaches his daughter to ride a bike, and because Dad helps her succeed, a trust is created. When it comes to driving, another scary experience, most daughters naturally look to their dads in hope he will help her to achieve success again.”

There’s also a bit of male ego added to the mix as Horan went on to explain that dads will often want to teach their daughters how to drive because they fear someone else will not teach them correctly. Sounds awfully familiar, ey? But there’s also a very sweet side to dad’s thinking.

“For dad’s the dynamic is even more interesting when it comes to driving because passing on this skill is a symbol of dad accepting daughter’s independence and his authority diminishing.”

How adorable we hear you say. We bet many of you are feeling dad is extra worthy of a Father’s Day gift now...hmm?