Embrace The Car Conversation
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What is it about getting in the car that makes many kids talk incessantly? From the moment their rear end hits the seat, their lips don’t stop moving.
Maybe you have endured a long day of work and just want to enjoy some peace and quiet. Or maybe traffic is a nightmare of cars inching along and you feel distracted. Whatever the reason, too many times we as parents lose our patience with the endless conversation and ask our kids to be quiet.
We really should embrace the “car conversation”, as I like to call it.
When driving along down the road, I have found that my kids will initiate some extremely interesting conversations. Interesting in the sense that they often bounce around from one thing to another, with some bizarre topics usually thrown in for good measure.
The thing that I love about the “car conversation” is how my kids feel so free to talk about whatever is on their mind. They will ask questions that leave me scratching my head trying to figure out what they mean. Sometimes they will make comments that make me laugh and cry all at the same time, like when we were passing a cemetery and my youngest said, “Dad, I want to get you a stone in a place like that.”
As you are driving along, be sure to pay attention when they aren’t talking to you but talking to a friend or sibling next to them. Do your best to stifle any laughs though, as once they realize that you are listening they will stop that conversation and start peppering you with questions again.
The next time you find yourself in the car with your kids, take a moment to embrace the “car conversation” and cherish the time while you have it. To help kick-start a conversation, here are a few questions that you can use to get your kids talking:
- What is the silliest thing you could ever do?
- If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
- What would it be like to live on the moon?
- If 7-11 is open 24 hours, why do they have locks on the doors?
Shortly after you read this post, I will be putting this into practice as we drive home from Disney World and have hour after hour of car conversations. While there are certainly times that I would prefer some peace and quiet, I have learned to embrace the car conversation as I know it won’t be long and the back seat will be empty.
Photo courtesy of Alex Barth
Bill Parlaman is owner of 
This is a great point. On a related note, my wife and I have purposed not to allow media to interfere with conversations. Growing up, I remember being told to be quiet by my parents because they were trying to hear something important on television or radio. This taught me that media was more important than I was, and I have vowed not to make the same mistake with my kids.
Jeremy Killians last blog post..5 Reasons You’ll Succeed as a A Freelancer while the Economy Struggles
Yes! I couldn’t agree more, which is why every time I see another car go by with kids watching TV, I cringe. How sad it is when families deliberately cut off that time to talk and interact with each other.
I wrote a long comment and it got nuked apparently. Anyway, thanks for the reminder about how special the car convos are!!!
Damiens last blog post..From a Distance
Great Post, D! Parent witness this phenomenon every day yet they take it for granted. What I really notice is the rare occassion when I have the opposite experience, usually it’s in the mornings when I’m driving the critters to school…silence…it’s so creepy! If I don’t hear anything for 3 minutes, I automatically look into my rearview to see if they’re breathing and they always are - maybe one has her nose in a book and the other is rifling through his backpack to check for the third time that he brought his Star Wars figure for playtime. All of it is good. Every moment (boisterous or benign) must be cherished!
@Jeremy :: That is a great point as things that we often think are important cannot even compare to the importance of being involved with our kids.
@Greg :: To be fair, we did leverage the movie player a bit as our drive was 18+ hours each way and there is only so much conversation to be had at one time, lol.
@Damien :: Not sure what happened, sorry that you lost a comment. You’re welcome for the reminder!
@ASK :: Thanks for the feedback! I know exactly what you mean about the silence as it feels like something is wrong or they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing.