What am I, many a parent has asked their kid, your chauffeur? What do you think I am, an Uber driver? It’s understandable—it can be a pain to drive your kids around. To school. To a friend’s house. To football practice. Sometimes it can feel like this is all parenting is—driving a little person around . . . for free.
But instead of seeing this as an obligation, see it as a gift. For a bunch of reasons. First off, twenty minutes in the car can be something you share and remember forever.
Second, how often do you get this kind of captive audience? You guys are stuck together! This is wonderful. This is what you wanted, right? An opportunity to connect? To bond? To have fun? So use it! Third, as many parents with older kids will tell you, something changes when kids are in the car with you. Suddenly, you’re not the parent. You’re just a companion. Kids will share and say things in the car they wouldn’t say anywhere else. Or better, if their friends are with them in the car too, you fade into the background and suddenly get to watch how your kid is with other people. You’ll learn things about your own son or daughter that you’d never know otherwise. You’ll get a glimpse into who they are in a way they could never articulate to you directly.
The point is: driving your kids around is a privilege. It’s an opportunity. Don’t complain about it. If anything, volunteer to do it!