Thank Goodness For Rear-Seat Entertainment Systems!

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Thank Goodness For Rear-Seat Entertainment Systems!

By Phil Schreck

Story Created: Mar 24, 2008 at 2:41 PM CDT

Story Updated: Mar 24, 2008 at 11:34 PM CDT

My family just returned from a trip to Templeton, Iowa to spend Easter with my Mom and Dad. We had a really good time while we were there but the really good news is that we had a good time driving down and back!

I wish I could say that it was because we were playing games and singing songs during the entire trip there and back (a three-hour drive each way). Those kinds of activities only go so far.

Nope, it's the fact that we have one of those DVD systems in our van that keeps the kids entertained and keeps the fighting, yelling and screaming to a minimum. We have 5 kids so that's really a good thing.

I have a of respect for my parents when I think about how they did it back in the day without the fancy electronics we have now. I have 5 brothers and one sister and I remember all of us taking much longer trips in the old station wagon and we all came out okay. Maybe it was the threat of "Don't make me pull this car over and come back there" or "How would you like to walk the rest of the way?" that made the difference!

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Thursday, Jun 26 at 8:46 AM Andrew wrote ...

It's easy to say that when I was a kid we didn't use a DVD player and to use one is cheating, but let's face it back then how many channels did you have on tv. Kids spend more time in front of the tv because of the selection of shows so in order to keep some kind of sanity while taking a long road trip a car dvd is essential.

Wednesday, Apr 23 at 5:34 PM Gene wrote ...

Having to entertain your children with DVD'S when on a trip is what happens when they don't have any imagination. Three cheers for Emma's comments.

Friday, Apr 18 at 11:34 AM Shirley wrote ...

My husband was an Army officer, and we moved and traveled many, many times. No videos for our three girls in our old station wagon either. THOSE WERE THE DAYS. From Georgia to Calif. to Oklahoma to Wisconsin to South Dakota in 15 years.

Wednesday, Apr 2 at 9:34 AM Becca wrote ...

We have a DVD player in our car as well, and I have to say it has made road trips much more enjoyable. I have an older brother, and all we would do on trips was fight and make everyone miserable. Since we got our car with a DVD player, going on family trips isn’t so bad and everyone enjoys it a lot more. Now our only problem is agreeing on what movie to watch!

Wednesday, Apr 2 at 9:29 AM Mariah wrote ...

I’ve got to say I’m thankful for DVD players being in cars. I have a hard time sitting in cars for a long time because I get bored. Since they have started putting DVD players in cars, it has made my car trips much more enjoyable. I have two little brothers and when we are in a car on a long trip, we can really irritate each other, which irritates our parents. So this has also helped us not to fight as much on long trips.

Wednesday, Apr 2 at 9:27 AM CK wrote ...

I agree that the DVD systems are good because the children in the car stay entertained and the fighting is kept to a minimum. I wish they had them ten years ago. My family and I drove to Texas and that was a really long ride. I believe that the trip would have felt shorter if we had DVD players. I remember on the trip all my brother, sister, and I did was disagree on little things.

Wednesday, Apr 2 at 9:13 AM Emma wrote ...

Phil, I beg to differ. I don’t believe that DVDs in cars are a good thing. Time in the car can be used to bond as a family instead of staring at a tiny screen. Some of my best family memories were in a car. Has it gotten to the point where the media interferes with our family relationships? Turn off the DVD players! In the long run, you and your kids will be glad it was off and that you made great memories together.

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