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Chapter 42

ENTERING AND
EXITING A CAR

Watching a bunch of little kids get in and out of cars is like watching a litter of puppies climbing over each other trying to get to their mother. Up until recently, your biggest concern about getting into a car was scrambling ahead of your siblings so you didn’t have to take the middle, or sitting next to your best friend so you could share the earbuds on your iPod.

Now that you’re getting older, your bigger concern is getting into and out of a car gracefully. When you are wearing a dress or a skirt, particularly a short dress or skirt, it is important to know how to do it without flopping and heaving, or even worse, showing your underwear.

To avoid that, follow these simple steps for getting into a car.

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1. Back into the car or enter sideways, bottom first onto the seat.

2. Once your bottom is on the seat, with knees together, swivel your legs into the car.

3. If you have to slide over to make room for another passenger, place your hands flat on either side of you, slightly lift and swivel your bottom in the direction you need to go, then follow with your legs, knees together.

To get out of a car without showing everyone what color underwear you are wearing:

1. Pull down your skirt as far as it will go.

2. When the door is open, with knees together put your legs out first and onto the ground if you can reach; if you’re in a Texas-sized pickup truck or SUV that has a running board, place both feet there.

3. Place your hands on the seat on either side of your hips and push yourself up and out. If there is a built-in handle on one side of the car interior, use that to pull yourself up while using your other hand as leverage to push yourself up.

YOU DO

Accept a hand when it is offered to help you out of a car.

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YOU DON’T

Swat the hand away saying, “Do I look like an old lady to you?”

Why

Offering someone a hand to get out of a car, particularly when the car is either very low to the ground or very high off the ground, is a thoughtful thing to do and has nothing to do with your age. But reacting rudely will reflect on your maturity.

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A lady does not scramble headfirst into a car or crawl across the seat to get out.

A lady always wears her seatbelt, even if it will wrinkle her clothes.

A lady does not get into a car with an impaired driver.

A lady does not bend over with her bottom in the air to get something she left in the car, but gets back in the car to retrieve it.