It’s that time of year again and in a last ditch effort to get the most out of the fading summer months the moms go Road Trippen. Last weekend alone, 3 of the 4 Momadonnas were out on the road having adventures.
As moms we feel it is our obligation to bring our children along (Who knows they may just learn something). This is also in our best interest, for as any modern - moving going mother knows, a child will throw a party and destroy your house if left alone for any period of time.
Taking a child on a road trip can be demanding and things have changed in the last few years. The whole process of taking a road trip has changed as well. If you have been 26 for over 10 years as I have, you’ll remember the good old days of road trips. The days before we had all these rules to follow. You know, back in the days when the only “car seats” we talked about were “bench” or “bucket”. Back then your parents would load up the car with trip essentials and then they would try and stuff the kids in-between boxes and bags (sometimes horizontally). You were lucky to find the seat and even luckier if you had a seat belt.
The modern road trip process is more sophisticated than it used to be. The children are more sophisticated too. They actually expect a seat in the car! They have learned not to ask “are we there yet?” Instead asking “how many miles until the next town?” or “How fast are you going?” (Honest, at 10 my daughter was asking both and she didn’t even realize it was a real life story problem so she didn’t complain about the math!) Although it’s possible the children may enjoy the trip, it’s still a good idea to have a back up plan. Here are a few suggestions from the Momadonnas:
• Duct tape – Just kidding I don’t even keep it in the car (I’m too afraid I would use it).
• Goody bag – just be careful where you stow it. I know of children who would sneak a snack when their mom was dozing (in the passenger seat!).
• Sing with the Stereo – Either the children will sing with you or cover their ears. The Greece soundtrack seems to work well for me but my Minion plugs her ears. Of course that could be just because I can’t hold a tune, for who does not just LOVE Greece?
• Ipod – This is very handy especially with earphones. We tried streaming netfix. Unfortunately, that did not work so well in the middle of nowhere without any reception. However you can download games and movies too. Just make sure not to place the ipod on the dashboard. I know of one mom who ran off the road because she got distracted watching “her little TV”.
• DVD player – bigger than an ipod but still as riveting this works well on children, however one last piece of advice DON’T let kids watch Disney’s “UP!” it has been known to cause Minions to yell squirrel every half-mile…
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