Watching the scenery

After discussing mini DVD players for use in a vehicle my dad made a comment that went something like this..."what ever happened to just watching the scenery?" I internalized that comment with the idea that in MY family we would NEVER use mini DVD players in the car. After all, I never had one so my kids didn't need one either. Right. How often can I possibly be proven wrong?

About a month ago the kids and I went on our first trip over to the coast to visit my parents. Now that we have three kids and only one small VW Jetta the kids are jam packed in the back seat. And Benji discovered the joy of pulling Kiersley's hair. In fact, he discovered that he could actually alternate between pulling hair and smacking her head and poking her eye. And the longer we were in the car, the more cliches came to mind and I found myself saying them outloud. "I'm going to stop this car!" "Don't make me turn this car around!" "YOU ARE GETTING A TIME OUT!!!" Benji also discovered that as much as I would yell, I REALLY didn't want to stop the car to punish him. My son was turning into a car terror.

For our next trip to the coast I borrowed a DVD player from a friend. It was the most relaxing drive I've had in four years.

I have now amended my ways, eaten humble pie and plan to purchase a portable DVD player. Because, after all, my kids might not need one but I sure do!