The kids and I drive 45 minutes one way to school.It's a long drive!
Many days Zoe usually falls asleep and Dyl plays his video games leaving me to listen to some music or lose myself in my own thoughts for a quiet ride. It used to be I would try to get a couple calls made, but with the new law, I find that I don't talk on my cell nearly as much since my bluetooth is a speaker phone and I don't like my conversation blared through the car.
But, lately I've been trying to use our commute to have more conversations. Of course we talk about school. I never ask how their day was because that conversations shortly ends with "good" or what they learned because inevitably they learned "nothing" or "can't remember". Instead I try to ask questions like what made them laugh, or who did they sit with at lunch {Dyl loves talking about lunch}, what did they read, or what did they play at recess. I found this book
{affiliate link} helpful in finding some new conversation starters as well.I like the idea that we are using the time to chat rather than be hooked up to our electronics. Now I don't have any certain rule about electronics in the car and we still frequently resort to the naps, DS, and radio, but it's been nice conversing through the commute. I'm kind of hoping that by talking more now in our car rides that we will get in the habit so later on down the road {pun not intended, but totally made me smile} the conversations will come easy.
Do you have any electronics rules for car rides?
If you commute, how do you pass the time?
