The battle over the stick shift

I want to learn to drive a stick shift. Yesterday I test drove a couple cars with my dad. I was looking at a small SUV I am considering. I found a GOOD deal on the SUV, but the only thing is it that it has a manual transmission. I don't know how to drive a stick. I opted to test drive the automatic version of the SUV to see how it performs. The brakes require a lot more stopping distance than I'm used to, but I could get used to that.

Anyways, when we met up with my mom at lunch we told her that we found 2 cars. One was an SUV, which she liked, but when we told her it was a stick shift, she threw a fit. She said how nobody can drive it in the family. My mom has carpal tunnel and complains that it would be hard to constantly shift. My dad knows how to drive a stick, but has bad legs; so having to step on the clutch would be a problem. Then I don't know how to drive one, yet want to learn. I said I want to learn. She said NO. They're unsafe. I think I mentioned this in my earlier car post. She said that I'm not used to it- having to constantly have my foot on the brake because the car will roll. I'd have to learn to shift. I do tons of stop and go driving, so I'd get tired of it. It is also dangerous because you will only have 1 hand on the wheel because you need to have the other hand on the shifter constantly. It is also dangerous because of all the extra work and I'd be concentrating on shifting, pressing the clutch, and not on the road. Plus I never put on my parking brake because I have an automatic I'd forget, the car would roll back, possibly hit another, etc. etc.

My dad said that it is my choice, it is going to be my car, I'm going to have to learn if I want a stick. I am not sure I want one because of all the stop and go I do. I go through 14 stop signs on my way to school that require you to speed up and slow down every 1/2 mile or so. I do a lot of stop and go driving. I want to learn though and first see if I think I'd get tired of it.

I told my mom these are just her irrational fears because she wants me to get an automatic because she think it is so much safer. You think it is so much easier to not have to shift. You think that it is fun just getting in, putting the car in drive, and driving. Part of that is because she likes the SUV I'm looking at and wants it for herself, so she is pushing for automatic. I told her it is a good thing to know how to drive a stick. I told her that she thinks I can't handle it. I told her she is just a mom and has that stupid mother fear and is worried I'll get hurt. She said yes, of course, I am a mother, I'm supposed to. I told her it was stupid and whatnot and wasn't going to listen. I shut her up pretty quickly. While that hushed her up yesterday, I know that the battle is still brewing if I were to get a stick shift because she'll just try to rehash this whole thing again.

But the sucky part is that if I'm going to get an SUV like this it'll almost surely be a stick because it gets 4-5mpg better. The other thing is it is kind of hard for me to test drive a car that is a stick shift when I don't know how to drive one.