From 1972 to the mid 1980s, our core family took a trip to El Paso, Texas to spend Christmas with John’s parents. We lived in Stockton where my parents lived and they got to see us all the time and definitely at Thanksgiving when 40 plus relatives gathered each year. It was only fair that John’s parents got us to visit for Christmas.
Our first boy arrived in 1973 and the second son came in 1977. As they got older I needed a plan to survive the long 24 hours of driving time needed to reach our destination. As boys do, they became bored and restless. John insisted on driving and that left me to attend to the boys. I got to drive one time and my hands gripped the steering wheel for 4 1/2 hours until we needed to stop for gas. Boys were more than willing to pee along side the road. Any time spent at a rest stop or eating establishment just added to the 24 hours of driving time.
John insisted on driving between 55 to 57 miles per hour in our 1971 four cylinder VW camper bus. Once when I dared to go 59 miles per hour, he could tell the difference in the motor and complained. I was stuck taking care of the boys. I. When the boys were quite young, we got an extra road side stop or two due to a need for a diaper change. After using a diaper bucket one year, I splurged and used disposable diapers for use along the road.
I had strong survival instincts as a mother and I created a car game that worked for everyone. We started our trip with two paper grocery bags full of toys wrapped up in newspaper with a large letter A or B depending on which toy was for which boy. I filled each bag with such toys as 3D puzzles, silly putty, comic books, bending toys that are controlled from the bottom, car bingo and other car trip games and cards. The toys were designed to entertain the boys in peace while we traveled to El Paso.
One present could be opened from their bags if there was peace in the car for a time of three hours. That meant no fighting or asking how much longer until we got there. The toys worked quite well and the trip was much more pleasant for all. They also had some toys to play with when they reached El Paso as their Texas grandparents were not set up for young ones.
As we were there for Christmas, the boys had new presents to keep them occupied on the way home. There are several stories that emerged from the various toys and how the boys used them. When it became very quiet in the back seat, I was also on alert and usually for good reason.
One summer John and I were traveling to Ashland, Oregon to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Aaron, in his early 20s, was in the backseat with his then girlfriend. The trip took about 6 to 6 1/2 hours to get there which included a lunch stop. We were on the road for about two hours when Aaron asked if I had made any travel bags for entertainment in car. I then realized how much those travel bags had impacted our long Christmas trips.
A dear friend of mine was traveling from California to Maine with her husband and two children. Her oldest was 8 and the younger was 6. I decided to make up two travel bags to entertain her children on their long trip. Because their days on the road would be much longer, I got toys for twice a day. I again found items that could entertain in a car and were age appropriate. I then enclosed a gift for her husband which was a complicated puzzle where one tried to remove the ring from the 3D structure. For my friend, I placed a sticky note on her gift. I told her not to open her present until she was desperately bored. Her gift was an emery board and a bottle of clear polish. The travel bags were a hit and I was pleased I contributed to the success of their car trip.
Nowadays, however, children have access to screens on various devices. Some DVD players actually come with the car for passengers in the back seat. The radio has expanded with the many channels on Sirius. We used to have long quiet spaces in the desert with no radio. Reception was spotty at best. There were no CD players yet. Tape cassettes could be used but not shared with the entire car. We have advanced but I almost miss the times when we had to be more creative to entertain ourselves.
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