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Hey now, I would not have a deep appreciation for John Denver had it not been for my mother 8 tracks!!!
Seriously, I think the DVDs in cars contributes to the ever growing ADHD diagnosis in society.
Before everyone dives on me..yes, I know it is a real disease. I also know it is over-diagnosed and a cover up for bratty brought on by easy-way-out, lazy parenting.
I will just add, when you are driving around town with two cranky children who are screaming and throwing things around the backseat and crying because they are so cranky its not funny.....a tv in the car is life saver.
Popping in snow white, Aladdin, or whatever is like....magic....pure unfiltered magic.
If they are that cranky they need a nap. Why are you driving around with them being this cranky? Going to stores, ect. to torture other patrons.
I guess my problem with this whole discussion not just the above, is kids need a distraction and entertainment to be happy. Instead of making themselves happy by talking, listening to the radio, all the things kids have done in the car since cars were invented. Do you really need another toy to keep your children happy? I guess some people would say yes. I don't think they do IMHO.
My parents took us places in the 50's where there WERE no radio stations to listen to. NPR? (Insert mad laughter here.) As I said, we talked to each other. And my parents talked to us about what we were looking at. At the age of five, while driving in an un-airconditioned car with a roof that leaked (we held up buckets) through the state of Mississippi I got a lecture on sharecropping in the South that probably accounts for the social awareness I have today.
And who was ALLOWED to scream and bicker and throw things in the back seat? Maybe if a brother pointed out the Idaho license plate first one of us would have yelled, "Unfair!" There WAS no hitting.
Oh, and I had a brother who would throw up if he even LOOKED at a Buick. We pulled over, let him barf up his breakfast, and drove on to the next historical marker. Today Barfy and I look back on those trips with HUGE affection.
Gets out cane. Shakes it. And mumbles something about whippersnappers.
This made me laugh, reps to you. Obviously there are redeeming things that come from roadtrips to hell and back with nothing to do. If anything it gives siblings 20, 30, 40 years down the road something to look back on and reminisce. Funny how it isn't always the trip to Disney that gets remembered as much as it is the RIDE to Disney.
However, I don't think having a little rolling entertainment in the form of a DVD player takes away from the experience as much as provides a little occasional relief from the experience. Even if you were watching Cinderella the whole trip, you'd still have to pull over for "Barfy" and that memory would still be the same. It also doesn't preclude mom and dad from turning it off to explain the plight of sharecroppers, although the license plate game may be lost to history. What the modern convenience does provide is a little relief from staring at soy beans. Which last I checked seem to be all that lines the interstates from say Ohio to Kansas.
However, I don't think having a little rolling entertainment in the form of a DVD player takes away from the experience as much as provides a little occasional relief from the experience. Even if you were watching Cinderella the whole trip, you'd still have to pull over for "Barfy" and that memory would still be the same. It also doesn't preclude mom and dad from turning it off to explain the plight of sharecroppers, although the license plate game may be lost to history. What the modern convenience does provide is a little relief from staring at soy beans. Which last I checked seem to be all that lines the interstates from say Ohio to Kansas.
Understood. I just get a little nuts about this topic. A friend put one in her car and uses it constantly. Her daughter, at the age of 10, didn't know how to get home from a location five miles away. Which was horrifying to me. My polling on this is totally skewed and I'm probably overly prejudicial. Luckily, this girl is now a young woman who is away at college and has learned how to use the subway system in Boston.
BTW They still make license plate games. They're magnetic now. I got one at Target a couple of years ago.
Along with happy meals that do not decompose, they will contribute to the fall of modern society.
I know when I have kids, I will NEVER have dvd players in my car, let them watch tv, let them believe in Santa Claus (why start off lying), feed them anything that is not grown in my garden, or yell at them.
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Oh, wait, I do have kids. And I do appreciate some modern conveniences. Just because you have something does not mean you use it to the exclusion of anything else. My van came with the dvd player. We will pop in a movie on long rides. We will also listen to the radio, talk, etc...Its just a tool. It may not be necessary but like someone else said, most of us have or do things that are not necessary, but would be considered a luxury or convenience or diversion.
I honestly don't see why they are so awful.
Exactly. While I do agree that using them for every little car ride isn't the best idea, when you're on a rode trip and the alternative is screaming, kicking and arguing, then I'm fine with popping in a DVD to get everyone to relax.
We've taken 7 trips from WI to VA in the past 3 years and the DVD player in our van has been great. Do we use it ALL the time? Definitely not. But on occasion, I see no problem with it.
If they are that cranky they need a nap. Why are you driving around with them being this cranky? Going to stores, ect. to torture other patrons.
I guess my problem with this whole discussion not just the above, is kids need a distraction and entertainment to be happy. Instead of making themselves happy by talking, listening to the radio, all the things kids have done in the car since cars were invented. Do you really need another toy to keep your children happy? I guess some people would say yes. I don't think they do IMHO.
Well honestly, I don't think THEY do, either. But on a 5 day road trip across country, the last time being with the family dog and 3 cats, I know I DID.
Well honestly, I don't think THEY do, either. But on a 5 day road trip across country, the last time being with the family dog and 3 cats, I know I DID.
BINGO...these things are as much about keeping the kids happy as they are about keeping the parents sane.
Our DVD players keep DH and I happier than they keep the kids. Today my foreign exchange student and I drove 90 minutes one way with the kiddos to go to the art museum. I happily handed them their rarely-used DSes. They were quiet for half the ride up (and maybe 20 minutes of the ride back down), and I was thrilled to have quiet in the car.
I also think I am a safer driver withe the dvd player. I know I am distracted when my 2 yr old is crying to get out of her seat and I am driving 70 down the interstate. I just don't see what the big deal is. I COULD drive 8 hrs without the radio, but why?? I COULD dive 8 hrs without my dd watching a movie, but why? She is quit so I can focus on driving, how is this not a good thing?
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! *goes into shock*
This made me laugh, reps to you. Obviously there are redeeming things that come from roadtrips to hell and back with nothing to do. If anything it gives siblings 20, 30, 40 years down the road something to look back on and reminisce. Funny how it isn't always the trip to Disney that gets remembered as much as it is the RIDE to Disney. 
Luckily, this girl is now a young woman who is away at college and has learned how to use the subway system in Boston. 
