This “backstory” is a part of a collection of articles that describes some of the obstacles that Seven Days reporters faced while pursuing Vermont news, events and people in 2025.
I rummaged frantically through my cluttered glove compartment in search of a valid insurance card for my 2018 Subaru Outback. Without it, my daughter, Manya, who had just turned 16, wouldn’t be allowed to take her road test. Nervous that she hadn’t yet mastered parallel parking, Manya had implored me to arrive early at the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Montpelier, an hour from our house, just so she could practice. Now, I was the one sweating bullets as the DMV examiner waited outside the car.
For fuck’s sake! I thought. I just spent the last week interviewing driver ed instructors about this stuff. You’d think I would have come prepared.
After a quick phone call to my wife, I had a digital copy of the insurance card on my phone. The DMV examiner gave it a cursory glance, then told Manya to get behind the wheel. I handed her the car keys, then watched as they pulled into traffic on State Street and disappeared from view. My work there was done.
When I was studying journalism in college, I was often told to “write what you know,” a suggestion that’s held up well over my more than two decades at Seven Days. When my kids were little and I needed story ideas for Kids VT, our parenting magazine, I often drew from my own experiences as a dad: finding daycare, determining appropriate screen time for toddlers and overcoming the difficulties of breastfeeding — my wife’s, not my own.
So when it came time to brainstorm stories for the fall’s back-to-school coverage, my idea was a no-brainer. Due to limited space, Vermont teens struggle to get into driver ed classes, and Manya, one of the oldest kids in her grade, didn’t stand a chance as a ninth grader in the state’s largest high school. In January we enrolled her in a private driving academy, whose teacher turned out to be a good source for statewide information.
As I waited in the DMV office for Manya’s return, one of my editors emailed me notes to review. It was surreal, living the story in real time.
When my car returned to the DMV parking lot, Manya climbed out, expressionless. I looked at the DMV examiner, who gave me an encouraging nod and a thumbs-up. She had passed.
As Manya drove us home, she explained how she’d botched the parallel parking portion of the test, which cost her three points. That was her only deduction, though, and drivers can lose up to 20 points and still get their license. Which got me thinking: What does a driver have to do to fail a Vermont road test? I bet this examiner has been on some scary rides.
But that’s another story for another day.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Uncanniest Timing”
This article appears in Dec 24 2025 – Jan 6 2026.
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