GEEKOLOGY 101: How did people with kids survive long drives before the in-car DVD player?

This past weekend I had some sad tidings to attend to as a great friend of mine had just lost his father.

He was not only a friend but a roommate, a groomsman at my wedding and his wife was actually my wife’s roommate as well.

We have this special bond that we, as friends, have built up throughout the years.

You know that bond you have with a friend that you haven’t seen or heard from in years, but as soon as you see each other again, you pick up right where you left off.

That is the bond we have with this particular family.

Although we would have liked to visit this couple under better circumstances, I really wanted to be there for my friend.

This meant: Road Trip with the Kids! AAAAAAAAH!

Now I know that a lot of you have kids and have experienced the pain and agony that is an extended trips, in a car, with little kids. So you know exactly why I reacted the way I did.

This past trip I got the dreaded “Are we there yet?” question from my eldest  several times. I felt like whipping the car around and just heading home if that was a pre-cursor to what I could expect.

Daddy was sad and was in no mood for shenanigans.

Then something magical happened. My wife inserted a DVD into the DVD player and a gift from God materialized...

Silence for a straight hour and a half. BLISS!

Now I know what it is like to drive in a vehicle with kids when there isn’t some sort of visual stimulus to keep the mind entertained.

It isn’t fun.

Plus as a kid, driving seems to take an eternity.

Why is that by the way? I mean as an adult, I can take the same trip that I used to dread as a child and find that it is rather pleasant and quick.

But as a kid I remember it seeming like it was so long that life was almost unbearable.

Is that the same reason that months and years seem to dart past you more and more rapidly the older you get? 

Anyway.

So what did people do before the creation of the in-car DVD player? How did they keep from losing their minds AND their kids entertained?

I have heard of the “License Plate Game” and “I Spy”, but do those really last for longer than 20 minutes?

I have tried to play those games in the past but they seem to lose their magic after a few minutes of intense game play.

Maybe it has to do with the whole “oh my gosh I just saw another Iowa plate. Does no one else from other states drive here?” 

Although that meant that several Iowans were able to cross Missouri off their license plate game! So Iowans, you are welcome!

But seriously, no way were games like these going to hold my kids’ attention for very long.

Though Declan did create his own game. It is the “throw-my-toy- on-the-floor-of-the-car-and-see- which-parent-is-able-to-contort- themselves-to-the-weirdest-angle- to-retrieve-it-while-I-cry-but-secretly-am-entertained-by-this” game.

Let’s just say he likes to play that one a lot!

For the most part, though, my kids are great on road trips *knock on wood* and they seem to enjoy the extra time with mommy and daddy, even if it is couped up in a car.

But to those who created the in-car DVD player, parents of the world thank you for your efforts. You have a special place in Heaven waiting just for you.

Any ideas on potential road-trip games you may have can be forwarded to the email below or just stop me when you see me. Thanks and have a great week!

Gary Darling is the geekiest employee at the Maryville Daily Forum. His email is:

gdarling@maryvilledailyforum.com. Drop him a line sometime!