Traveling with Minors

We all love our children with all our hearts, but traveling with them can be a challenge. Especially when they hog your laptop and iPad on a four hour flight.

Thanks for the good idea, mexicovacationtravels.com.

I'm so tired of my kids taking all the good stuff. On a daily basis I give them the best food, the perfectly golden brown toast (and I take the burnt piece), the last dribble of milk, the last cookie, even the last of the hot water for a shower. Every single day I give them my best -- even my best energy and effort. My poor husband is now in the habit of eating early and fast so that he doesn't have to share his food (because he sees me giving the kids my food regularly). I need to remedy this compulsive giving before the kids get any older. And before my husband decides he's had enough. Today I'm on an airplane heading to Minneapolis with both kids (husband & puppy are at home). I'm in between one kid who has my laptop with good headphones, and the other kid with my iPad  and Kindle app (not to mention the window). I'm stuck writing this on my phone. They are easy travelers, but this is not cool.

We ate breakfast at the airport this morning and I had to give my yummy oatmeal to the 6 year old because the one front tooth left in her head is so wobbly she couldn't eat her breakfast sandwich. You can imagine the uproar when I reach in for a few Cheddar Bunnies as we fly. Jeez. An outsider might not realize that I BOUGHT THOSE. I think it's time for several changes and the first one is to convince them to start saving up for their own iPads. The other is to set some clearer boundaries and to stand up for my rights as the Mom in this circus. And one for this flight: I'm keeping absolute control over the licorice and may have to hide it in my bra at some point -- these kids go bananas for candy.

It's not even lunchtime and I'm considering ordering wine or a Bloody Mary with my "snack pack" just so I don't have to share my drink. If I get water or soda they'll end up drinking it.  What's going to happen when they're 21? Are they gonna scoob my margaritas?

21 is a long way off, but 16 isn't and I don't know if I can share my car. How do I prepare myself for that? We've always talked about buying an older Volvo for the kids -- some tank of a car that barely goes over 65 mph and has only 4 seat belts. Now I'm thinking a new mountain bike would be good. Or a moped. I couldn't wait to get my driver's license when I was 16, but I don't want my own kids driving until they're at least 20. There are too many distractions: phones, texts, girls, boys, random cats, and deer running around our neighborhood. So maybe my life as a chauffeur won't end til they both leave home. Ugh, that's another 7  years of kids yelling "Shotgun!" Today I had them Ro-Sham-Bo (rock-paper-scissors) for the window seat and there was no grumbling so I may use that technique for the car too.

(Good news: I just got my laptop back. With a dead battery. Figures.)

So our oldest will be eligible to drive in 5 years. We better start seriously thinking about keeping the Subaru Outback for him. We'll likely get another Subaru anyway, but they're hard to find used and in good shape. And it would be ideal for him to have a good snow car if he needs to help drive to Tahoe some day. I know I won't be saving my Audi Q7 for either kid--too big & too expensive. Subaru seems to be the right call.


The urchins are now calling for the licorice I hid in the computer bag. I think it's time to turn off their movie, so I better wrap this up and steel myself for getting them off the plane and through the baggage claim hell that awaits. Luckily my mother-in-law is picking us up at the airport. I hope she let's me drive.

Photos from www.mexicovacationtravels.com and Car Mama. 

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