5 Reasons not to have kids watch movies on road trips
We have driven a lot with the kids. From England to the South of Germany (Channel Tunnel we love you), from Dubai to the South of Oman, from Bangalore to the West coast of India and from Indiana to California just to name a few of our road trips. We do not have video entertainment systems in our car and are not planning on getting a car with one. Here are our main reasons.
1 Travel WITH the kids and teenagers not IN SPITE of them.
For a happy and peaceful trip, especially on road trips of significant length we believe that families need the kids’ endorsement of the trip. This prevents a lot of the “smoke coming out of ears why do I have to be here” scenarios. It doesn’t prevent some boredom. As with most things in life, not all parts of an experience are astounding and exactly what we want. We believe that the sooner children learn that, the better it is.
If I were to drive for hours on end with people fixated on screens in the back I would feel like a driver transporting customers to a destination. Mom taxi to the beach. In stead of that I like communicating with my children, getting their opinions on things we see and where to stop. It is, after all OUR family trip.
2 See the scenery and events through their eyes
To children, a lot of what adults have grown accustomed to and view as just normal, is absolutely amazing. To get a chance to view the world through a child’s eye is absolutely magnificent. Getting to a place is part of the adventure. I want to share it with them.
3 Hone the Kids’ planning skills
From about each child’s third birthday I take the risky parenting decision of not checking my children’s luggage (with exception of the Ladakh mountain expedition!). I leave it up to them to inquire about the length of the trip and the climate that we will be in. I figure that in most places a rescue change of clothes can be purchased and something valuable is learned. I do however tell them how much luggage space they are entitled to, which ranges from their own suitcase for some trips to only a large day pack for our cross country drives in the USA. Yes, some funny situations happen. I laughed heartily when I found three little cellos packed in the back of the van to go on a beach vacation to Croatia! Epilogue: The cellos did come.
Kimana and Fire are usually in charge of the entertainment. They check the trip duration and come up with a plan for podcasts and audio books or music CDs. They try hard to find things that appeal to me as a driver, them as older children, and Ciquala. In the rare occasions where no agreement is reached we take turns listening to each others preferences.
Sometimes Kimana puts herself in charge of the cars snacks, which usually results in sumptuous moving buffet style meals.
Ciquala likes to be in charge of the digital navigation device after we set the destination and route. It puts him in a position where he knows how much time is left and has a sense of how long it might take before a break is announced. I would not recommend doing that on tricky stretches of road around naptime!
4 Let the kids come up with the entertainment (no screens)
Sometimes this will result in seemingly never-ending games of “I spy” or “big fat spiders”, and sometimes nursery rhymes or folk songs get adapted to the current situation with each verse sillier than the previous one. Old McDonald’s farm always includes elephants for a peanut farm in our family. I also remember a very fun long journey in a van with good friends in India from Bangalore to Kerala around Christmas time when the “12 Days of Christmas” were completely rewritten India style.
Ciquala likes playing rock paper scissors with his seat neighbor, spot the camel or the elephant (monkey, cow or whatever we are likely to see). We also have art bags that clip onto the seat in from and fold down for those unaffected by motion sickness.
Up to 2019 we homeschooled and time in the car was also often used to what I jokingly called carschooling, listening to podcasts on a certain topic, prompting debate. We also often traveled to a study destination so the whole trip was an enjoyable field trip.
5 Make memories together
Sometimes when I look back on my own childhood and the trips I took with my parents, what I remember most is an atmosphere. The sense of adventure, of shared excitement and discovery and also the sense of trust conferred to me. In the same way we are hoping to forge family identity through travel, not just at a destination but also in the adventure that it is, to reach it.
What does YOUR family do on long road trips?
Please tell us in the comments! Do you have special family car traditions?
What parts of this post do you agree with or disagree with? What would you like to hear more about?