Road Trip
Survival--DVD Movies Have Become the New Scenery on
Family Road Trips
by: Marguerite Pickett
With the kids in the
backseat buckled up tight, you’re headed for grandma’s
house, an all-day drive. The great American family
vacation road trip--a time for bonding and sharing each
other’s interests. A time for pulling your hair out one
by one.
As long as Americans
pile the kids in the car for a family vacation, they are
doomed for the anxieties that come with the mind-numbing
boredom of a very long road trip. After a short while
into the trip, the fidgeting starts. The inevitable
discussion about who hit whom first is under debate.
Good feeling’s gone.
As it happens, once the
kids have seen a couple grazing cows and a horse
pasture, they pretty much don’t want to see it again.
Rolling hills and scenic mountains served their purpose
a great many miles back, but now, who really cares? And
who really gives a hoot what they’re growing in those
widespread fields anyway!
So here you are, only a
couple hours into the trip, with the whole day ahead of
you, and the whining starts. "Are we there yet?"
Never fear! Remember
those awesome car trip games we used to play as kids?
The age-old "I Spy" game where the other player tries to
guess your object. Then, of course, the license plate
game options: See if you can spell all 50 states, make a
phrase out of the plate letters or see who can add up
the numbers correctly.
Car trip games are
really terrific entertainment for the kids, but when 20
Questions suddenly turns into 20 reasons why you’re
bothering me, then it’s time to move on before the
scuffling accelerates.
Unlike past generations,
today there is a simple solution. Put in a DVD movie.
Just slide that little disc boldly into the slot, and
suddenly the family road trip takes on new
scenery--Shrek, Nemo, Woody and Buzz. The whining stops.
Restless little bodies settle down, and the car
mercifully becomes surrounded by contentment. Suddenly,
the trip becomes much easier.
Okay, so now you’re
thinking enjoyment of the journey is lost. The family
vacation is a bust. Relax, already! True, the
countryside is becoming just a faint flicker in the
background, but consider the fact that if you make the
most of getting to your destination, you will bring home
good memories of the entire trip. In reality, TV
provides a welcome sanity for today’s long road trips.
So, let modern technology take over. Enjoy it!
If you’re still having a
hard time accepting defeat to the state-of-the art,
consider days gone by when fidgety children were free to
move around. Perhaps you can recall sitting in the back
of the station wagon or hatchback playing board games or
working on little paper projects. Can’t do that today.
For safety, the little ones are strapped into their
special seats and the older ones are buckled up tight.
Not much freedom there. The great American road trip has
forever changed.
So next time you hit the
road, throw in those DVD movies. Your sanity may depend
on it.
A word of warning I must
add. As parents come to rely on DVDs as their survival
against hours of back-seat whining and clashing, DVD
players won’t solve all problems. There may be fewer
"are we there yet," but eventually new squabbles of
"it’s my turn to pick" or "I don’t want to watch that"
will erupt. Isn’t modern technology great?
