The last time we went on a road trip with our teenager in tow, he sat in the back seat with his eyes closed. He rocked his head from side to side; occasionally he twisted and jerked. All the while, his long slender fingers beat an indiscernible rhythm on the car seat. Most of the time, he softly hummed and moaned. However, now and then he erupted with a shout — sometimes he shouted profanity!
Now, an uninformed observer might have thought, “God love him! That poor child is afflicted with Tourette’s syndrome!” But, if they had looked closely they would have seen two white “ear buds” that connected him to his iPod! He was grooving along to “music” that only he could hear.
Thank God!
We had taken a “scenic route” so that the boy could experience viewing the sights of the highway. He didn’t see a dadgum thing. Now, y’all, that’s a far cry from the way road trips proceeded when I was a kid. We had our eyes glued to the road all the time — because we played “road games.”
Didn’t y’all play road games? If you are old enough, you did. I’m talking old enough to remember before there were Game Boys to play, and iPods to blast your favorite music, and cell phones to text your friends so you didn’t have to talk to your family. Back in those days before technology, we occasionally talked to one another. We interacted!
When it was time for a road trip, we dashed to the car screaming, “Shotgun!” It meant we had dibs on sitting in the front passenger seat. If both parents were going, of course, that was not an option. But, we vied violently for one of the windows in the back seat. There were four kids, two Great Dane dogs, and two windows … you do the math.
Since I was not the eldest, nor was I the baby in the family, I usually got stuck in the middle. But, it didn’t matter, because we didn’t have to wear seat belts back then, and I had sharp elbows, so I could usually wiggle near enough to a window to see out.
The games we played were primitive. A favorite for long road trips was “License Plates.” We each had a sheet of paper and a pencil, as we scanned the oncoming cars for their license tags. Our goal was to find a tag from as many different states as possible. The first one to “call” it got to count it. You could win the game by calling a plate from every state in the Union — but nobody ever saw one from Hawaii. You could also win if you saw a license plate from Canada or Mexico (these days that would make the game too easy).
On shorter trips, we liked to play “Windmills.” Yep, we just counted windmills. North Texas back then had them all over the place, because there was a lot more farmland. I always won that game, because I have a very good memory. I just memorized where they were, and called them just before they came into view. My siblings were so goofy that they never figured it out. Don’t tell ‘em …Okay?
Another favorite game was “Jellybean, Easter Egg, Schoolbus.” A “jelly bean” was a Volkswagon — we also called it a “doodlebug.” They were all over the place, so they only counted one point. But, if you saw a Volkswagon bus (an “Easter egg”) it counted five points. You could win the game if you saw a schoolbus, but it had to be in motion. It didn’t count if it was just sitting there at the side of the road.
Pretty boring games, eh?
Maybe so, but there was nothing boring about the back seat of that car! The four of us bounced from side to side clawing each other to get the best view. We hung over the front seat of the car — and Daddy’s shoulder — to look out the windshield. All the time we were either squealing, “I saw it first” or wailing, “Mom! He’s on my side of the car!” We were loud enough to burst an eardrum, but I tell you whut! We were interacting!
Come to think of it, I bet my Daddy would have given his eye teeth for four iPods!
Jamie posted the writing prompt at Take This Tune that sent my mind down this road. Y’all go take a look.
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{ 8 comments }
We used to vie to sit in the “way back” of the station wagon (boy would I be sick if I tried that today!). My cousin and I used to play “peace”, flashing a peace sign at passing cars in the hopes that they’d flash one back. We’d also play license plates, though not written down, and I Spy. In fact, I still play I Spy with my own kids when we’re on a road trip
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.-= Robin from Israel´s last blog ..A fun part of traveling =-.
Did you ever make that motion (like a “pulling” motion) to get a trucker to honk the horn? I quit doing that when I realized that it was “suggestive”
. I Spy is a good one! It’s not boring.
We used to do that license plate game too.
.-= LuAnn´s last blog ..Lucky Not-a-Stroke =-.
The hardest part was spelling the states name, wasn’ it?
We played similar road games. “Slugbug” was our favorite becasue when you saw a VW beetle first you were allowed to slug your sister.
Cheap entertainment that worked.
Sheila
.-= Sheila´s last blog ..Content Copywriting – Could Storytelling Be the Most Powerful Weapon In Your Copywriting Arsenal? =-.
Oh, my goodness! We didn’t get to hit each other, or my Daddy would have given us a whippin’ for sure (it’s called “hypocrisy”).
We used to play yes/no- you were a character or person and everyone took a turn to ask one question that could be answered yes or no.
You know what happens to teenagers who play nintendo gameboys in the car? They have no sense of direction! Got one!
.-= Jennymcb´s last blog ..Newsworthy? I don’t think so.. =-.
Yes, I know that kids have no sense of direction. But, I never played Nintendo games in the car … and I have no sense of direction, either! I don’t think that one can be blamed on Nintendo
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