TMI Tuesday: Get In The Car Daddy!

When my wife and I were planning out our summer last year we weren’t quite sure how our son would react to being in the car for long stretches of time. As it turned out, he enjoyed the time exploring and seeing new places… at least to a certain extent. Of course, last summer he spent most of his time sleeping as the mile markers slipped by the window and sometimes my wife would join him in slumber. Things are quite different now and it is hard to tell how long he would be able to stay in the car before he has enough.

This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t enjoy traveling or being in the car. On the contrary in fact. This weekend was a perfect example of this as there were many instances when we were outside and every now and again, usually whenever he caught a glimpse of my car in the driveway, he would point, babble something, and start leaning toward the car. We quickly discovered that what he was saying was “Get in the car daddy! I want to go for a drive!” So, shortly after, we would pack everything up, climb in the car, and get on the road… fortunately we had some idea as to where we were headed. At least this time around.

Almost as soon as the car would start moving, this restlessness ceased. Unlike the previous year, he was wide awake the entire time we spent driving around the area. Between looking out the window, playing with his small toys, and giving me a wide smile when I would reach back and tussle his hair, he was a happy little toddler enjoying the time on the road with mommy and daddy. And this change has got us thinking about our plans for this year… our, as of now, undecided plans.

It is amazing, but not surprising, to think about all the different things that our son enjoys and the fact that most of them are quite simple. He is not into a lot of the fancy toys or overstimulating shows, he enjoys the simpler things. He likes his wooden and overall non mechanical toys probably more than any others. He enjoys Mickey Mouse and Sunday Morning on the television. However, what he seems to enjoy most is exploring and seeing the world from behind the car window as well as experiencing new places. It makes me glad that we decided to be cautious by replacing my car and, at this point, I guess we better get moving on booking a few places to stay over the summer and schedule a few other day trips.