Billericay Parents Forum

Are we nearly there?

Now that spring his finally here we know that Summer is just around the corner, bringing light evenings, day trips, holidays and the dreaded long car journeys!

Different personalities squashed together in a small space for lengthy periods of time can often prove to be explosive for many families and it is a very special driver that is able to concentrate whilst mayhem reigns on the back seat.

In-car DVD players have proved to be a godsend on long journeys and have ensured that many families are still talking when they arrive at their destination. This is, of course, provided that everyone can agree on the choice of DVD! Not many boys will sit through Barbie Swan Lake without complaining!

Another good idea is to take an activity pack for each child, complete with books, crayons, pencils and stickers etc. Reading in the car doesn't seem to have the same effect on children that it does on adults, who often only need to reach into the glove compartment for a sweet to experience the first whiff of nausea!

We hope these tips help you cope with back seat bickering, it may mean that you can travel a bit further than Frinton this year.

(If all else fails just plug in your ipod and turn it up nice and loud - you can pretend that all is calm in the back!)

Create a buffer
If you think that your children are likely to argue, try putting Mum or Dad next to one of them, or in between, to act as a buffer zone. Swap the seating plan around every so often so each child gets a chance to look out of the window - particularly important if you have more children than window seats!

Planning distraction activities is a good preventative mechanism. Involve the children in plotting your route and ask them to point out various landmarks along the way. Give each child their own disposable camera so that they can record the journey.

Bag it
Let each child take an activity bag with them for the journey, containing sticker or puzzle books, crayons, pens etc. You could include a few things that they can share, but this may be asking too much. It is also a good idea to keep a few things back to be used as a surprise for sticky points during the journey.

Create 'car rules'
Discuss the basic 'in car rules' before embarking on the journey, to ensure that they know exactly what is expected of them, especially the safety rules like not unclipping seat belts or distracting the driver.

Take a breather
Frequent stops on the road - approximately every couple of hours - may stop any budding arguments, will help to distract children from bickering with one another and will also encourage them to expend pent-up energy, making them calmer for the road ahead.

When the trouble starts …..
When the children start to get grumpy maybe try a few guessing games like I Spy, or Who am I? Spotting things out of the window is also a good one - who can be first to see a motor bike?
If it all reaches fever pitch it is very distracting for the driver, so, when it is next safe to do so, pull over and let the driver get out for a few minutes. This should make the children inquisitive and when they ask what is going on, tell that their arguing is dangerous and the journey cannot continue until it stops.

Extreme Measures
Make it clear that bad behaviour means the loss of an enjoyable day out! If you say that anymore arguing means that you are going to turn around and go home, then you must carry it out. This is obviously not the one to use if you have booked a holiday, but it may worth planning a day out with this 'up your sleeve'. It really will hammer home that you mean what you say!!