If you look closely, you will notice that I am quaking in my boots. The reason is simple; I am getting ready for my third and last son to start his foray into the world of driving.

Not certain whether my nerves would survive a third go-around, I decided to create this 10-point checklist that will help me determine if I am really ready to hand the keys over to my youngest. If you are, or you know the parent of a soon-to-be licensed teen driver, then I invite you to share in my pain.

You know your teen driver is ready to get their license when:

1. You stop at a yellow light and they no longer say, "Geez, you should have punched it - you could have made it!"

2. During practice drives they no longer drive within 1 1/4 inch of the cars on the right.

3. They stop saying, "Driving is sooo easy. I don't know why parents make such a big deal about it."

4. They no longer ponder aloud whether your vehicle can really hit the top speed displayed on the speedometer.

5. They can make a complete stop at all stop signs without rolling through and whining, "I DID stop!"

6. You no longer hear them contemplate whether they will be able to "drift" in your vehicle.

7. They offer to work (at an actual job, that requires an actual effort) to pay for their own insurance.

8. They stop asking you questions like "So, how many tickets can you get before they take away your license?" or "Does a citation have the same fine if you drive 90 mph as it would if you were driving 100 mph?"

9. You no longer grip the armrest until your fingernails split, and your right eye has stopped twitching uncontrollably when you are a passenger on their practice drives.

10. Finally, there is no question that your teen is ready to get their driver's license when they start pointing out - on an annoyingly frequent basis - all the things that YOU are doing wrong when you are behind the wheel.

It is my fervent belief that the only folks who benefit when another teen driver hits the road are those companies that sell hair re-growth and/or gray-covering products to their parents.

My third son wants to get his driver's license. It's time, once again, to stock up on the L'Oreal.

Michelle Groh-Gordy is the owner of InterActive! Traffic School Online at www.trafficinteractive.com , and writes a syndicated weekly column on driving for the publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.