5-step test... passed.

Holy crap, I can't believe it! Erin passed the 5-step test in Thak's truck. What is the 5-step test, you may wonder?

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Basically, it's a really easy way to figure out if your kid is ready to ride without a booster or not. Boosters are meant to help the seatbelt fit correctly on a kid who is too short to have it fit right on its own. This test establishes 5 basic criteria for being able to go without a booster. Yesterday, Erin passed this test in Thak's truck. She still has a ways to go before she passes it in my car, which is what we drive more than 90% of the time, but it is still a big step that she is now without booster in the truck.

Texas state law states that kids have to ride in a booster until they are 8 years old, or 4'9", whichever is sooner. Erin, as we know, turned 8 this past summer. One of the things we contended with when that happened was that everyone was telling her she didn't have to use a booster anymore, because it's some big celebration to most people. Yay! No more booster! My kid is 8! As if they magically pass the 5-step test and can ride safely without a booster just because it's their 8th birthday. So we had to be the ones telling Erin that no, she would not get rid of her boosters just because she turned 8, that she had to wait until she was big enough to ride safely without them. This is where carseat safety and society collide, the kid who's old enough to know that none of their friends use a carseat, and that they still do.

It's weird to see the backseat of the truck with just the two seats for the boys back there. Erin's black booster is now stored away for Orren to use in a few years. I have a feeling the red one will follow within the next 18 months. Wow.