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Are
We There Yet?
I
often wonder what kind of gadgets my parents would have
incorporated into our weekend auto travels to my
grandparents, given today's high tech developments.
Would I have been plugged into a movie?
Would a CD player lie across my lap pounding out
tunes or a story? What,
if any, types of conversations would have taken place?
To
say the least, I enjoyed my travel time with my parents.
We talked. I
practiced my letters and read road signs, snuggled between
the two of them as our car wound through the hills on the
way to Sunday dinners.
Somehow, I think they enjoyed the quiet time
together, too. I
never had to ask, "Are we there, yet", as the
trip was short in duration. However, long trips by car can
be especially difficult for children and parents. What are
some strategies parents can use in making the journey
enjoyable for all involved?
 Prepare
snacks ahead of time.
Snacks are an important part of any trip for both
parents and children.
Cheese, crackers, and fruits work well.
Prepare them ahead in small zippered plastic bags
or containers and put them in a cooler.
Then, when a stop is made, pull out a portion and
distribute amongst all the passengers.
Remember
to make frequent stops.
Children do need to use bathrooms more frequently
than adults.
Throughout the years, I have often heard horror
stories of parents refusing to stop for a potty break.
Adults hold the power here and it is abusive not to
make a stop if a child requests it.
What if circumstances were reversed?
Frequent stops also help the driver stay alert.
Leave extra time to avoid having to rush.
Provide
entertaining activities.
Have a special box or case of activities for the
children.
Commercial ones are available or have the child
help in the decision making.
So it does not become boring, use the box for car
trips only.
Then, store it away.
Make sure the child can be self sufficient in
choosing and putting away the activities.
This avoids a parent having to reach dangerously
over a car seat.
 Provide
family games.
These build camaraderie and memories.
One of the best activities I remember from
traveling was an activity we called the Alphabet Game.
Everyone in the car participated.
We tried to complete the alphabet using letters
from road signs.
The idea was to build the alphabet as many times as
possible before arriving at a destination.
"Q" and "Z" were always a
difficult find.
When
traveling across the country, we developed a family log.
Part of the fun was recording what state license
plates we saw. It
was not unusual to find nearly all fifty states
represented on an interstate highway.
Take
a digital camera and record family photos.
Allow the children to participate in recording any
unusual sites. Plan
ahead and visit odd monuments besides the
"normal" tourist areas.
My father took us to the world's largest concrete
deer in northern Minnesota, as well as to see the
"world's largest collection of salt and pepper
shakers". Needless
to say, it was a unique trip.
As
a last resort, provide electronic games and movies.
I know there are parents out there that will
totally be taken aback with suggesting this as a last
resort.
Some might even go as far as to say, "I
wouldn't survive in the car without the CD or DVD
player!"
A
focal point of family trips should be to build memories.
A child will not remember
the movie or game they played on the journey, but they
will remember the discussions or group activities that
took place. (Since
then, I have gone back to that silly concrete deer to
visit and to
remember.) Electronics
should not serve as a substitute to building those family
memories. Games
and CD's have taken over too much of today's family times.
Do not miss an important opportunity to find out
where your child is at in dealing with their day-to-day
lives, or letting them get to know you
better. We
only get one chance at helping them develop into happy,
healthy adults, do not let it pass by without offering up
to them the very best there is to offer - you!
 I
loved traveling with my parents.
I hope that your children will look back on their
travels positively, too.
Traveling by car takes patience, planning, and
preparation, like building memories. "Are we there
yet?" was not a part of my traveling
vocabulary.
The journey is more important than the destination,
even today.
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