How to Have a Successful Road Trip with a Child
It's all in the planning. And an internet connection for the tablet of course.
Greetings from the beautiful state of Pennsylvania where the child and I are staying at Grandma’s house and I thought that now that I am an expert road tripper due to our maiden voyage down the highway I thought I would take the time to share some tips:
Plan. This might seem like the obvious, but if you don’t have the right tools for the job the job can’t get done. Make sure you know when you are leaving and where you are going. These are crucial steps that will make or break you later.
Bring chargers and cables - just like planning, if you don’t have the supplies on hand then things can go badly with an upset child with no internet connection.
Snacks. You will need a lot of snacks. If the child starts talking about being hungry and stopping will put your plan behind just keep tossing chips into the back. I recommend the variety pack so every new bag is a new taste sensation.
Bring your patience. When the little one decides to “sing”1 along to each and every one of her videos because she has headphones on and can’t hear the singing. The entire point of the headphones was to not have to hear the songs in the first place. This could be avoided by culling any musicals from the child’s playlist before your trip. Lesson learned.
Stop to refuel sooner rather than later. It’s a silly thing but an extra 15 minute stops sure beats getting a tow because you have no fuel in the tank.
Be sure to have the child look up once in a while to look out a window. Tell them you saw a cow or horse or an elephant. The animal isn’t important here - it’s to interrupt the singing.
When you do stop, be sure to send your daughter to the ladies room in behind somebody else’s grandmother so she can help with reaching the soap and towels. (Thank you kind stranger).
Whatever you do, do not treat your child to some blue sugary drink at the gas station. If you do, at least get one for yourself too.
Ignore the child when they tell you they don’t have to pee at the stop. They do, they just want to wait until you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Arrive safely and when you get grandma's house be sure to jump in the pool. It was a long drive but we all made it safely and that’s the important thing.
“I miss mommy”
Until Next Time,
TH and Co.
if singing and chanting are considered the same