Dear Mama and Papa,
Please read this entire letter. The subject which I am writing about is one that matters a great deal to me. It%26#039;s something that I think and stress and worry about quite often, more than you can imagine. It%26#039;s a topic that we seem to find difficult to talk about, but clearly, it means a lot to me, therefore it is something that we should be able to talk about. As I%26#039;m sure you%26#039;ve already guessed, this is about how you won%26#039;t let me get in a car driven by one of my friends.
I understand that you are sick and tired of hearing about this. But there is simply no way that I can continue to obey you and abstain from riding in a car with my friends. It%26#039;s growing to be too much of a hassle. I%26#039;m not asking you to completely change your mind, but I would really love it if you looked at the whole situation rationally, and took my opinions into consideration as you decide wether or not we could reach some kind of compromise. Please understand that I DO respect your authority and your opinions. I only ask that you keep an open mind as you keep reading.
I realize that it is perfectly normal for parents to worry about their children being in a car with a young driver. Most parent%26#039;s don%26#039;t allow their children to be driven by someone who%26#039;s just gotten their license - in fact, it%26#039;s illegal. Illinois law states that one must have had their license for a year to have a minor passenger. However, Sam and Joey have both had their licenses for nearly two years. I think that that%26#039;s a long enough time to gain enough experience to drive safely. I believe that lawmakers spend a lot of time thinking about when a person is old enough and has had enough experience to do certain things. I%26#039;ve taken a look at Illinois driving laws, and they%26#039;re very strict in comparison to other states. In Illinois, unlike many other states, it is a requirement to take at least one semester of a traffic safety class (if you%26#039;re under the age of 18), which has been proven to reduce the risk of fatal accidents t by 38-48%. Clearly, whoever makes the laws has spent a lot of time thinking about them, especially since state driving laws have changed a lot in the recent years.
I also understand that you don%26#039;t trust anyone else with my safety. You must realize, though, that if anyone has any control of my safety (which I doubt) it%26#039;s me. Nearly 75% of teenagers killed in fatal crashes could%26#039;ve avoided death if they had been wearing seat belts. I decide wether or not I wear a seat belt, not the driver. And besides, what makes you think that the age of the driver determines their maturity on the road? I believe that teenagers may take driving even more seriously than adults, since we are constantly bombarded with lectures and stories about the importance of driving safely. Every year, we sit through some sort of assembly about the consequences of reckless driving. Our teachers are constantly reminding us to be careful. We%26#039;ve not only heard horror stories about teenagers getting seriously injured in car wrecks, but we actually know the people in those stories. Even after hearing those stories and witnessing the consequences, I still feel like I should be able to ride in a car with my friends. I am either a very stupid person, or someone with enough confidence to make difficult decisions. One thing that I know for sure is that I%26#039;m not naive. The rest, well, that%26#039;s your opinion.
I%26#039;m not trying to compare you to other parents, but everyone else is permitted to ride in a car with their friends. That%26#039;s not an exaggeration. I honestly don%26#039;t know a single person who isn%26#039;t allowed to be driven by a teenager, besides myself. I feel very excluded, and this makes me quite sad. I%26#039;m not saying that you should be like Alexa%26#039;s parents or Lori%26#039;s parents, who don%26#039;t really care who%26#039;s driving and where they%26#039;re going. But maybe we could reach a compromise, like Jennifer and Lindsay%26#039;s parents, who must know who%26#039;s driving and insist that their children text them every hour to let them know what%26#039;s up. I would be more than happy to text you every half an hour, or even every fifteen minutes, if that would make you more comfortable. A compromise isn%26#039;t about giving up your peace of mind and happiness. It%26#039;s about making sure that everyone is somewhat satisfied.
Please don%26#039;t be angry with me, and please take what you%26#039;ve read into consideration. You might not feel like we need to talk about this, but I do, because it%26#039;s hurting me.
Thank you for reading this.
Love,
Mel :)Is this rude or impolite?I think it is very mature - I would have never considered writing to my parents but everyone is different. You do for the most part present a rational and logical argument. It is also clear you have given this some thought and done your homework on the subject.
%26quot;And besides, what makes you think that the age of the driver determines their maturity on the road?%26quot; Your follow up opinion that young drivers are more mature could probably be disproved by the number of young drivers involved in crashes, deaths on the road, disqualifications, DUI%26#039;s etc! I think that young drivers are in general less mature on the road, but you are right that you can have mature younger drivers and irresponsible older drivers.
%26quot;We%26#039;ve not only heard horror stories about teenagers getting seriously injured in car wrecks, but we actually know the people in those stories.%26quot; - I would remove this, I don%26#039;t think it really aids your point much but it could harm it. I would be thinking I don%26#039;t want my little girl to be just like her dead friends/classmates.
%26quot;I am either a very stupid person, or someone with enough confidence to make difficult decisions. One thing that I know for sure is that I%26#039;m not naive.%26quot; - how about %26quot; I have grown old enough to have the confidence to make difficult decisions and one thing that I know for sure is that I%26#039;m not naive.%26quot; - that just removes the %26quot;I am either a very stupid person%26quot; which doesn%26#039;t help you in any way and only brings your argument down.
I don%26#039;t know if you wanted any tips but I was just giving my thoughts on how you could word it better to sell your point and achieve your goal which after all is the letters purpose.
Good job!Is this rude or impolite?I%26#039;m pretty sure it%26#039;s, whether, not wether. Otherwise, good letter.Is this rude or impolite?tldnr
and why are you writing a letter to your parents no one does that anymore.Family conference.Is this rude or impolite?No it is not rude or impolite. You telling them how your feel. I think this is a very very good letter and I think your parents will definitely think that they will think about it.Is this rude or impolite?just listen to your parents, not being able to drive with your friends isnt a serious issue thats going to greatly effect your life and texting them every five seconds wouldnt save you from a car crash. im 17, but ive already decided im never trusting my future children with teens i havnt personally driven with, i lost a close friend to a car accident and i know how easily it is for a driver who has only been driving a couple years to get panicked in an emergency situation and make the wrong choice while driving, two years isnt that much experience. and the lectures dont do anything, we watch them at my school to, and all the kids say %26quot;o my god thats awful%26quot; and then hop in their cars and speed off with their friends, not wearing seat belts and chatting with their friends instead of watching the road. it doesnt atter how good or safe of a driver they are, teens will be distracted when they are in a car with their friends.Is this rude or impolite?I hope that when my 2-year-old daughter is your age she has as much sense as you seem to. Good job doing your homework on the statistics on teen drivers and making an effort to ensure that they are comfortable with a compromise. I don%26#039;t think it%26#039;s disrespectful, and the worse they can do is say, %26quot;nice letter, but no dice.%26quot;
I hope this works, but if it doesn%26#039;t...the teen years are short and they%26#039;ll be over soon.
Good luck!Is this rude or impolite?It sounds very mature.
It%26#039;s a rational argument, and I think they%26#039;ll be convinced.
It would be absolutely ridiculous if they%26#039;re not even WILLING to compromise after reading that.
