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Car Talk

I seriously doubt that many of us enjoy chauffeuring our kids around as often as we’re called upon to do. And now that my son is 10 and has made the leap from parks and rec sports to league teams, it seems we’re driving farther and farther on the weekends. Because our trips also require a ferry ride, a two-hour lacrosse game (plus getting him to the field an hour early for warm-up) can take up an entire Saturday.

How I’ve dreaded those away matches — until a couple of weeks ago. Now, while I still don’t exactly love them, I realize there are some pretty nice side benefits that go with them. I discovered that in the confines of our car, between CD changes, my son talks to me — about all kinds of stuff. Maybe it’s boredom that drives him to spill the beans. Or maybe it’s the casualness of the environment, the way I rest my hands on the wheel and look ahead, just listening and nodding when we get into the heavier stuff.

On a recent trek to North Seattle, my son disclosed that a boy at school was giving him a hard time at recess. Keeping my eyes on the road, I asked how long the situation had been going on, then tried not to react too strongly when he told me, “Pretty much since the beginning of the year.” He explained that he wanted to “try different things” to see if he could make the problem go away himself. But he’d run out of ideas. That conversation paved the way for a solution that profited all parties concerned, including the other boy.

So now I look forward to these road trips — as long as game time isn’t too early. We eat on the ferry, we carefully select our CDs, and we talk, just the two of us, or as a family when we all go. I’ve also learned to mutitask these events by getting my dog walked during the warm-up and catching up with friends via cell phone during halftime. I bring a good book for severe rain and cold weather and, otherwise, have a pleasant time chatting with other parents on the sidelines. In short, if this is what it takes to stay connected to my kid, I’m all over it.

To all you moms (aka chauffeurs and sports fans) out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Karen Reed-Matthee
Editor

©May 2008 Caliope Publishing Company