Comments on: Car Talk

By: jennifer

jennifer — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:45:48 +0000

Very true, the rear view mirror is a great secret weapon. However, the downside to the mirror is the view the kids get of our aging necks. I remember glancing at myself once while driving and saying “Oh no, I’m getting a crepe-y neck!” and whoever the spokesman was in the backseat said timidly “Yeah, we noticed that a while ago but didn’t know what to call it.” Probably Hugh.

By: Lindsay Todd

Lindsay Todd — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:53:50 +0000

Key to important conversations in the car with my kids: the lack of eye contact that they prefer! It is much easier for Liam to approach sensitive subjects while looking at the back of my head. I told him when he was very young that I had eyes in the back of my head (and he looked for them) he didn’t realize I could look in the rear view mirror and see what he was up to.

By: terry

terry — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:59:02 +0000

I like to listen to the kids talking in the car. I try to remain silent and just listen to the kids chat amongst themselves. But I love the nights that I lie down with my kids and they want to talk. Those nights are getting more and more scarce. But I cherish those moments.

By: kim shimer

kim shimer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:40:31 +0000

Jen, I need my husband to read this one. I’ve been asking him to have “the talk” with our almost 12-year-old son for months now. The “kid” will be married before he gets around to it at this rate.

As for where I find talk to be productive? Definitely in bed with the lights off. Come to think of it, that’s also the only place where my husband isn’t virtually connected to everyone else.

By: goofdad

goofdad — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:19:38 +0000

I’ve used car rides to my advantage many times over the years. I still do, to some extent.

I have to admit, though, that I’ve started texting my conversations like one of my teenagers …

I hope the talks in the car end up being as meaningful for my kids as ours were with our parents!

By: lindacopy

lindacopy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:09:12 +0000

Love this post! You bring up an interesting idea here, that not only do parents sometimes use this “captured” time to talk about significant subjects, but that the kids remember the conversations and car rides for years after (even for a lifetime).

By: Kristen @ Motherese

Kristen @ Motherese — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:49:28 +0000

Wonderful post! Husband and I use long car trips to make grand plans. Before we were married, we planned our wedding. Before we had kids, we talked about how many to have. Now that those kids are here and are rather needy during car rides, our conversations are somewhat stilted, but I look forward to a time when they can join in.

By: judy

judy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:46:54 +0000

Loved the references to MO, I grew up in Columbia and we also drove to the malls in KC and St.Louis because we had no such things in mid-MO.
We now live in NY and traveled back to MO for a family reunion last November. It was a joy to have three days in the car, each way, with just our family…hubby, me and four kids (three of them teens) The ipods got tiring and even the DVD player didn’t see as much use as I’d expected. Instead we had lots of conversation and lots of ‘talking’ games, like ‘Would You Rather’….priceless time for all of us. Gotta love car time.

By: Elizabeth @ Life in Pencil

Elizabeth @ Life in Pencil — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:21:53 +0000

Nice post, Jennifer. I remember lots of long rides down that same stretch of I-70 Last May my best friend and I had planned to meet up in Sedona, AZ — halfway between my house in Albuquerque and hers in Las Vegas — for a Girls’ Weekend. In the end, I flew to Las Vegas just so that we could have the extra time in the car to and from Sedona to talk. And you know what? It was totally worth it!

By: M0therAdm1n

M0therAdm1n — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Yes, equating young girls with your mom is bound to put the brakes on. The ride to Cooperstown certainly sounds legendary! I guess Dramamine didn’t work for you.