The kids are transfixed by the passing scenery. Dad willingly asks directions so that he doesn't get hopelessly lost. No one fights over the radio station, the middle seat or the last piece of bubble gum. The car is pristine--not a smashed pretzel or spilled drink in sight.
Unfortunately, a real family road trip is rarely as pleasant. We're never prepared for the reality--the preschooler who wails as soon as he's buckled into his car seat, the motion-sick 10-year-old, the sullen teen, the never-ending chorus of "I'm hungry," "I have to go to the bathroom," "How much longer?"
If you want to see real shellshock, check out any traveling family as they stagger into their fifth fast-food restaurant.
The good news is that these trips give us plenty to laugh about, often for years and years. (If you have any good road tales, send them to me, and I'll use them in an upcoming column.)
Maybe the kids will take off their headphones and talk to you more than they have in months. Maybe, without as many distractions, you can focus on what's really going on with them. Being trapped together in an automobile can be just the thing to remind you of what you love about one another.
Whether we adore road trips or dread them, we're all going to have plenty of company on highways, interstates and country lanes this summer. Most upcoming vacations in America (close to 85%) will take place by auto, truck or RV, the Travel Industry Assn. reports. Twenty-five percent of leisure travelers say they'll travel more by car this summer than last.
Here's how we're going to survive:
* Safety. No matter how much they protest, make sure the kids are properly buckled into safety seats, booster seats (for children 40 to 80 pounds) and seat belts. In 1998, 1,765 children 14 and younger died in motor vehicle crashes, and in 1999 an estimated 272,000 were injured, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign. Set a good example by always buckling up yourself. Don't let kids younger than 12 ride in the front seat. More than 100 children (including infants in safety seats) have been killed and many others injured by deployed air bags. And, of course, never leave the children alone in a hot car. For more child auto-safety tips, visit the National Safe Kids Campaign Web site at www.safe kids.org. And check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site at www.nhtsa.org for advice on buying and using safety seats.
