Overcoming Fears

Like I've said in earlier posts, one of my big tasks, probably my biggest, before being able to TTC is that I need to overcome a serious, life long fear of driving.  I would call it a phobia, actually.  I was never really enthusiastic about driving.  I was not one of those kids who couldn't wait to turn 16 to be able to drive.  When I did learn how to drive as a teenager, the learning experience was really rather traumatic.  So, I didn't feel super confident about driving.  Then, I went to college and really couldn't afford a car, so I just stopped driving.  I moved to Philly right after college and still couldn't afford a car at that time because I was in grad school and only working part-time.  I also wasn't real keen on the idea of driving in Philly.  Anyway, I have definitely been in a place where I could afford a car for the past few years, but facing the fear after all this time has been no small task.  I have maintained my license this whole time.  In January, I started taking lessons with this guy who is also a police officer.  He is pretty tough, so the lessons have been really stressful.  At times, I started to think that I just wasn't going to be able to do it.  Yesterday, he told me that he thinks that I am capable of driving on my own and that I don't need any more lessons.  It was like, hearing him say that, I felt years of this neurotic fear just melt away.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'll be driving cross-country or anything, but for the first time, I am actually kind of excited about driving.  This whole experience has also got me thinking about how important it is to not instill a sense of fear in children.  I really hope that my child doesn't end up with my anxieties, but if they do, I intend to address their fears from day one.