The Trip

Soon it will be time for loading up the family vehicle, strapping in the kids, and heading over to grandma's house for the family Christmas celebration. Some of you are fortunate enough that your trip will be short and your children's entertainment requirements will be minimal. Ah, but some of you brave souls will have longer journeys ahead of you.

The excitement of the journey will soon give way to the monotony of wheels droning over the highway and these two classic questions: "Are we there yet?" and "How much longer?" If your kids are older and unencumbered by child car seats, you might get to savor these joyous refrains: "He's touching me!", "Mom, tell him to stop bothering me!" or the ever-golden nugget -- "Dad, tell her to stop looking at me!" Oh, the joys of that young child's precious little voice. One thing's for sure though, the shrieks from the back seat might just be the thing that keeps you awake and alert on the road, but I digress.

Many a father has threatened his brood with the ominous, "Do you want me to stop the car?" (Actually they do, but not right then.) There's also the wonderfully effective, "Cut it out!" -- often delivered at a decibel level that would drown out an airplane engine. In lieu of threats and loud noises, some fathers have tried to quiet their offspring with games. One such favorite is "The Quiet Game." The winner is the last one to utter a noise. Most children will sacrifice their bragging rights and take one for the team by speaking first. As a result, the game will work just so far. "Alphabet games," "I spy" and other favorites seem to work, too, but just a little.

Today, tech-savvy dads are aware of such devices as individual DVD players, PS2 game systems, iPods, and other such devices built to entertain children and insure road safety. I'm a big fan of such survival tools and believe every dad packing his kids for a trip longer than five minutes should get a DVD player, an iPod, and anything else necessary to minimize behavioral problems.

This year when you go "over the river and through the woods" armed with gadgets enough to make James Bond envious, I'd suggest you use these tools to share your faith. That's right. Christian videos, Christian music and even audio Bible stories can go a long way to reinforce your faith teachings and help your child grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.

Think peace, safety and quiet as you put your Christmas road trip together. Have fun!