CAR TRIPS......LONG CAR TRIPS....

Our last long car trip took place in a rented E3500 FORD VAN. Yes, I drive and
there ae four rows and room for luggage. There are enough seatbelts for a small class
to fit, however two in a row provides comfortable space to travel outside the city
for six children in the back.

My favorite companies are AAMCAR and ACTION CAR RENTAL. Both of these companies deliver straight to my front door the car that I need whenever I need it to head out of Manhattan.

Another favorite must item for car trips is the RADIO SHAK 350W INVERTER
which turns any cigarette lighter into a dual plug. That coupled with two extention cords heading to the back of the van allow the children to be completely plugged into their dvd players, computers, charging music players, etc...

Returning in the car from Smugglers Notch,VT
our favorite family starter ski vacation
(dont expect luxury here, but the best young ski programs and camps. I feel comfortable watching my 8 and 10 year old ski on their own down MORSE MOUNTAIN
as the ski lift is visable from our room which you ski into and sit in the chair at the dining room table to unhook your boots !)

So returning home in the E3500 Ford Van I start the car and
I announced to my children " KIDS I HAD THE BEST TRIP EVER WITH YOU !!!! YOU ARE
JUST THE GREATEST KIDS, I AM SO HAPPY TO HAVE SHARED A WONDERFUL SKI HOLIDAY TOGETHER AND I CANT WAIT FOR OUR NEXT ONE.

I also announced "IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG DRIVE HOME AND IT IS UNSAFE FOR ANYONE TO GET OUT OF THEIR SEATBESTS OR FOR THEIR TO BE ANY FIGHTING IN THE CAR AS IT DISTRACTS ME FROM DRIVING AND THAT PUTS YOU IN A UNSAFE POSITION.

I added SINCE I DONT WANT ANYONE TO BE UNSAFE, IF THIS BEHAVIOR HAPPENS I WILL
JUST PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND READ MY BOOK UNTIL YOU LET ME KNOW THAT
YOU ARE READY TO RETURN TO THE SAFE BEHAVIOR .....THEN ILL DRIVE AGAIN

After being clear that everyone understood this, I was tested. I pulled over to the side of the road, excused myself between the load commotion between the 13 year old and the 8 year old and let them know they can tell me when we are ready to continue.

The THEORY^ WAS THIS

*You watch the misbehavior of your children
*You feel bad
*You think you are feeling bad because of their behavior
but actually you are feeling bad because you are out of alignment with your
own desires which is more a match to a picture of happy children enjoying eachother
while you take them home from a wonderful trip on an 4 hour car ride.

If I pull the car over and not get upset with them (cause they are really not doing anything too bad anyway) and i stay connecting to who I am (and not become yelling to be quiet mommy) THIS will evoke less resistance from the children and effect
a better more positive overall situation and time in the car.


I can truly say, it worked...to a degree. It took us about two extra hours to get home, but when I arrived at home I was FRIENDS with all my children. I was in a good space with each one of them....even if they were not in a good space with eachother

From this position I can help them become in a better space with eachother !!

ENJOY YOUR LONG CAR TRIPS OUT OF NYC

^This Theory I was testing from from page 69 in the POWER OF EMOTIONS a book writen by Ester and Jerry Hicks