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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To expect a driving instructor to ring the doorbell?

314 replies

NotTonightDeidre · 07/04/2025 09:15

Just that really. DS missed a driving lesson this morning because he wasn't awake. The driving instructor text him to say he was outside. He didn't call his phone or ring our doorbell.

I get that it's DS' responsibility to be at the lesson, but if it were me I'd just ring/knock when it's a pick up from home.

Is it really that unreasonable to get out of the car & walk 10 steps to the front door?

OP posts:
SuspiciousChipmunk · 07/04/2025 12:20

I thought it was normal for people to righ the door bell when you had booked their services and they arrived at your property.

thepariscrimefiles · 07/04/2025 12:25

NotTonightDeidre · 07/04/2025 09:21

It's his 3rd lesson. His first one, the instructor was 10 minutes late. He was ready & waiting as he was for his second.

I just don't see the harm in ringing a doorbell.

But your son was still in bed. Even if the phone or doorbell woke him up, how long would it take for him to get up and get ready? Would you have expected the instructor to wait?

Why didn't your son set his alarm as he must have know that he had a driving lesson that morning?

LardoBurrows · 07/04/2025 12:38

SuspiciousChipmunk · 07/04/2025 12:20

I thought it was normal for people to righ the door bell when you had booked their services and they arrived at your property.

Not driving instructors. It must be something they learn on the first day at driving instructor school. Lesson one, never, ever get out of the car.

ThatGreenNewt · 07/04/2025 12:38

YANBU to have expected him to ring the bell if you live somewhere it’s easy to pull up and park outside the house, I am surprised at people saying the instructors don’t get out of the car, surely unless it’s your first lesson they have to get out and get in to the passenger seat?

Your son is at fault, which you know, but he made a mistake, you’ve said there’s not a long history of him being not committed or lazy. Yes the driving instructor could have waited outside for him to get ready/shower/dress, he was being paid and not expected anywhere else so I don’t see the big deal to wait. The lesson should have still finished at the agreed time and to me that would be the consequence to your son, a reduced lesson.

I don’t get all the remarks from people acting like they’ve never made a mistake or forgotten something, good on them if that’s the case. I am mostly organised but busy and human so sometimes forget things, if I do I already feel guilty and rubbish, I appreciate understanding when this happens, beating him over the head with it to ‘teach him a lesson’ won’t help.

if it was repeated behaviour I’d feel differently as this is disrespectful to you and the driving instructor.

maybe I’m a softie and part of the reason for ‘teenagers today’ but I hope I’m raising them to be respectful and organised but also compassionate and understanding and not to get on their high horse and point a finger whenever someone makes a mistake. You can take responsibility, deal with consequences and also have a little bit of understanding from someone, one is not exclusive of the other.

crumblingschools · 07/04/2025 12:38

@SuspiciousChipmunk but surely that is more if they are coming into the property or delivering something to the property. Refuse collectors don’t ring my doorbell to pick up my rubbish. They assume my rubbish will be at the end of the drive at the appointed time. If it isn’t I miss the collection for that week

Rubyupbeat · 07/04/2025 12:40

Oh dear and was it always the teachers fault if your son was late or in trouble?
You are being ridiculous

Apreslapluielesoleil · 07/04/2025 12:41

His teachers don’t phone to wake him up for lessons.
An employer certainly won’t do this.
Why can’t he attend a driving lesson on time just as he would lessons and a job? Phones have alarms.
If he’s not mature enough to organise getting out of bed and being alert enough to drive a car should he really be driving one?

Lindolander · 07/04/2025 12:49

Tell your lazy son to set an alarm. It's not the instructor's job to wake him up if he can't be bothered to be ready on time.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 07/04/2025 12:53

NotTonightDeidre · 07/04/2025 10:42

Not sure how long he waited.

Yes, the instructor still got paid (payment is up front)

DS is usually reasonably responsible. He has a part time job & doing A-levels.

I didn't say it wasn't his fault. I just said I thought the instructor might have rung the bell. I would if it were me. Evidently this is not the case.

DS doesn't know my thoughts, DH has spoken to him & told him he messed up and to learn from it.

I'm assuming that by "instructor still got paid" you mean that you/your DH paid.

Honestly, if your son doesn't even know you're annoyed and you aren't making him pay for the lesson, he won't learn from this because there have been no consequences for him.

Assuming the lesson wasn't at 7am, why was he even asleep?

EmmaEmEmz · 07/04/2025 12:54

If he is old enough to be having driving lessons, he's old enough to make sure he's up, dressed and ready for when the driving instructor pulls up.

MaloryJones · 07/04/2025 12:57

Yes, YABU

Not the driving instructors problem if your DS can't be up and ready in time.

Marble10 · 07/04/2025 12:59

is it likely your sleeping DS would have even woke up to a knock the door? I know mine wouldn’t!

MyOtherCarIsAPorsche · 07/04/2025 12:59

@ANDisayWhatsGoingon

I am speaking generally about the types of posts commonly posted here where people blame everyone and everything before stopping, for a short second, to think where the responsibility lies.

Teachers (not parents) generally get blamed (I'm a retired teacher) for the behaviour of children when it's completely the responsibility of parents to teach manners and responsibility to their own children before they attend a school setting. Schools used to do orientation meetings for parents which detailed what to expect from school staff and conversely what school staff expect from parents and children, as the relationship between schools and families is supposed to be mutually beneficial. I'm sure these still happen as both my daughters have attended them recently. So things such as being toilet trained, holding and using cutlery, having tissues or handkerchief and being able to blow/wipe your own nose, putting on coats and shoes, getting changed for PE, following instructions,
concentrating for periods of more than 10 minutes, saying - please thank you good morning goodbye. Being able to hold bladder until break times so parts of lesson not missed, saving time having to explain tasks again. Not turning up late. Reading books with your children. All little things that save time so that maximum teaching time can be achieved - therefore benefitting all the children.

Generally speaking, nowadays, today's parents (using all the cliches I can think of) expect other people, mainly teachers, to do these things for them. In other words, avoiding parenting and expecting other people to teach key life skills to their children.

The cliche, trotted out on bullying threads, 'my kid (goat?) ain't no angel (usually spelled angle) but ....' No one gives birth to angels. Behaviour is mainly learned from adults who should be modelling acceptable behaviours. At parents evenings, the behaviour of the child is always explained from how the parent/parents present.

My granddaughter's class have a day of going to school in PE kit because it must have taken the children most of the lesson to get changed into kit and then allowing same amount of time to get changed back - possibly only got 10 min slot for a lesson after needing adults to help 30 children change twice. Same class has six children in nappies (reception) - not talking about ND children (but having said that all 6 of my grandchildren are ND and were all dry at 24 months due to first grandchild's mum having the Oh Crap toilet training book and reading about the theory behind toilet training (which includes some ND studies, excluding physical issues). My generation were toilet trained by 18 months due to the faff of terry nappies, my children were trained at 2 so they could be left at playgroups/pre school who had rules about not being left until dry. This generation are being left until the children feel that they are ready - Oh no! They had three accidents before lunch - OMG I can't be bothered with all this mopping and my car seat is piss wet through, go back to pull ups they're not ready!

Children should be taught to be independent age appropriately. I attended an infant and then junior school - no one had a parent taking them or meeting them when school finished after the age of seven as children walked themselves to and from school in the juniors.

It also seems that today's parents can't even think about getting to school without carrying hot drinks in various containers and walking multiple dogs, at the same time as continually speaking to someone on their phones, instead of having conversations with their children, generally speaking. Parents parking in places outside school when they've repeatedly been asked not to. Parents monopolising teacher's time before and after school when they've repeatedly been asked not to as there are multiple other ways of instantly getting messages directly to teaching and office staff. Parents barging past teachers and physically hanging up their children's coats for them and accompanying their children into class despite being continually asked not to, in order to encourage independence. It's what I generally observe - I take grandchildren to school every day and it's more common than not. I'm not including perfect people such as you or other perfect people. Just speaking generally. It's a topic repeatedly turning up on public forums which parents take no notice of and do not learn from.

That's why OP's son couldn't be bothered to get out of his pit for a pre arranged appointment - no responsibility and no respect from a very young age.

I still blame the parents.

Grumpy old cliches like me are allowed to generalise and use cliches about the 'yoof' of today - as they always have done.

There are many elements of 'troof' in generalisations/cliches.

ThePoshUns · 07/04/2025 12:59

Even back in the day when I was having driving lessons the instructor didn’t get out of the car. No mobiles. They waited outside. Your son should have been up, ready and waiting.

Krest · 07/04/2025 13:30

Yes it probably is a little annoying that the driving instructor didnt just ring the bell but the lesson probably still would have been missed if he was unable to wait for your DS to get ready. And honestly, its probably not wise for someone to be taking a driving lesson when they just woke up, all groggy and bleary eyed.

Nothing you can really do about it.

TubeScreamer · 07/04/2025 13:36

EmmaEmEmz · 07/04/2025 12:54

If he is old enough to be having driving lessons, he's old enough to make sure he's up, dressed and ready for when the driving instructor pulls up.

This

BrickHedgehog · 07/04/2025 13:42

We have been through a few instructors with ours and none have rung the bell , someone in the house just keeps lookout when it’s lesson time . Thankfully finished with it now .

rainbowstardrops · 07/04/2025 13:42

My daughter’s instructor never rang the doorbell or even text her. The only time he rang her, was when he was running late. She knew what time her lesson was and as she was old enough to learn to drive, she was also old enough to make sure she was up and ready!
The instructor text to say he was outside. That’s more than enough!

friendlycat · 07/04/2025 14:44

Well said @ myothercar

Lampzade · 07/04/2025 14:50

MyOtherCarIsAPorsche · 07/04/2025 12:59

@ANDisayWhatsGoingon

I am speaking generally about the types of posts commonly posted here where people blame everyone and everything before stopping, for a short second, to think where the responsibility lies.

Teachers (not parents) generally get blamed (I'm a retired teacher) for the behaviour of children when it's completely the responsibility of parents to teach manners and responsibility to their own children before they attend a school setting. Schools used to do orientation meetings for parents which detailed what to expect from school staff and conversely what school staff expect from parents and children, as the relationship between schools and families is supposed to be mutually beneficial. I'm sure these still happen as both my daughters have attended them recently. So things such as being toilet trained, holding and using cutlery, having tissues or handkerchief and being able to blow/wipe your own nose, putting on coats and shoes, getting changed for PE, following instructions,
concentrating for periods of more than 10 minutes, saying - please thank you good morning goodbye. Being able to hold bladder until break times so parts of lesson not missed, saving time having to explain tasks again. Not turning up late. Reading books with your children. All little things that save time so that maximum teaching time can be achieved - therefore benefitting all the children.

Generally speaking, nowadays, today's parents (using all the cliches I can think of) expect other people, mainly teachers, to do these things for them. In other words, avoiding parenting and expecting other people to teach key life skills to their children.

The cliche, trotted out on bullying threads, 'my kid (goat?) ain't no angel (usually spelled angle) but ....' No one gives birth to angels. Behaviour is mainly learned from adults who should be modelling acceptable behaviours. At parents evenings, the behaviour of the child is always explained from how the parent/parents present.

My granddaughter's class have a day of going to school in PE kit because it must have taken the children most of the lesson to get changed into kit and then allowing same amount of time to get changed back - possibly only got 10 min slot for a lesson after needing adults to help 30 children change twice. Same class has six children in nappies (reception) - not talking about ND children (but having said that all 6 of my grandchildren are ND and were all dry at 24 months due to first grandchild's mum having the Oh Crap toilet training book and reading about the theory behind toilet training (which includes some ND studies, excluding physical issues). My generation were toilet trained by 18 months due to the faff of terry nappies, my children were trained at 2 so they could be left at playgroups/pre school who had rules about not being left until dry. This generation are being left until the children feel that they are ready - Oh no! They had three accidents before lunch - OMG I can't be bothered with all this mopping and my car seat is piss wet through, go back to pull ups they're not ready!

Children should be taught to be independent age appropriately. I attended an infant and then junior school - no one had a parent taking them or meeting them when school finished after the age of seven as children walked themselves to and from school in the juniors.

It also seems that today's parents can't even think about getting to school without carrying hot drinks in various containers and walking multiple dogs, at the same time as continually speaking to someone on their phones, instead of having conversations with their children, generally speaking. Parents parking in places outside school when they've repeatedly been asked not to. Parents monopolising teacher's time before and after school when they've repeatedly been asked not to as there are multiple other ways of instantly getting messages directly to teaching and office staff. Parents barging past teachers and physically hanging up their children's coats for them and accompanying their children into class despite being continually asked not to, in order to encourage independence. It's what I generally observe - I take grandchildren to school every day and it's more common than not. I'm not including perfect people such as you or other perfect people. Just speaking generally. It's a topic repeatedly turning up on public forums which parents take no notice of and do not learn from.

That's why OP's son couldn't be bothered to get out of his pit for a pre arranged appointment - no responsibility and no respect from a very young age.

I still blame the parents.

Grumpy old cliches like me are allowed to generalise and use cliches about the 'yoof' of today - as they always have done.

There are many elements of 'troof' in generalisations/cliches.

All of this

ClairDeLaLune · 07/04/2025 14:51

Good grief. There really is no hope for the future of humanity! People need to take responsibility for their own commitments. You’re just enabling him with your attitude OP. I hope he paid for the lesson.

DazzlingCuckoos · 07/04/2025 14:55

SALaw · 07/04/2025 11:39

If alarms including smoke alarms don’t wake him how would a doorbell?

This is a very good point.

Also, presuming he's a 17/18 year old, there's every chance that even if he did hear the doorbell, his brain would go straight to "not my job to answer that".

Re the suggestion upthread of there being no harm in the DI knocking, I suspect if he's an experienced DI, he'll have learned a hard lesson from doing that. Give people an inch and they'll take a mile. Knock on the door once and you'll then be knocking every time because it's now your responsibility to go and collect the learner, rather than the learner being ready and waiting.

Teachers don't wander around secondary schools collecting children from wherever they are. Students are expected to learn where they're supposed to be and when. This is no different IMO.

brettsalanger · 07/04/2025 15:02

this is why many teens are so utterly useless these days. Stop making excuses for him. He should have been awake and ready for the lesson.

Topseyt123 · 07/04/2025 17:45

NotTonightDeidre · 07/04/2025 10:42

Not sure how long he waited.

Yes, the instructor still got paid (payment is up front)

DS is usually reasonably responsible. He has a part time job & doing A-levels.

I didn't say it wasn't his fault. I just said I thought the instructor might have rung the bell. I would if it were me. Evidently this is not the case.

DS doesn't know my thoughts, DH has spoken to him & told him he messed up and to learn from it.

It has never been the case that driving instructors come to ring the doorbell. Not in general. Just see the replies from those of us who learned to drive 30 - 40 years ago.

They wait outside and you are expected to be there ready and waiting so that the lesson can get underway. If you have arranged for them to pick you up elsewhere at a given time (like from school) then you are also expected to be ready and waiting there too.

I hope DS has been told that he will be the one out of pocket for the missed lesson. That way he might learn to get up on time and not fart about.

marsala1 · 08/04/2025 03:55

My driving instructor used to take me to drive-thru maccas.Then we'd drive to a nice park and stop and eat it. Then I'd drive home. I don't think my parents got very good value for money !😆 He smoked most of the lesson and always gave me a ciggie. I failed my first test unsurprisingly, but I was always ready to go on time. ( You can tell it was the 80's.)

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