I should be ashamed but I’m not! 🙂
Ten hours in the car is torture for me so I can only imagine how hard it is for Addie. She’s a good little traveler though. Having a baby/toddler/child never slowed Chad and Nicole down. They make about a 13 hour trip to Louisiana . not so much now that Chad has less vacation and Nicole has gone back to work but up until last year, they’d make the trip to Louisiana three or four times a year. When they lived almost two hours from Nicole’s parents, they made that trip at least once a week. Addie is pretty good about entertaining herself. Vince has cracked up with her talking to her dolls, talking to herself and singing in the bath tub. I love just listening to her when she doesn’t realize we can hear everything she’s saying.
But . . the trip from MO to TX . . she asked me probably 50 times “How much longer?” and she’d stretch that word “lonnnnggggeeeerrrr” out til I wanted to scream. It made the trip seem longer for me too. When I’m by myself, I don’t pay attention to the time. I arrive when I arrive but when I’m saying “It’s 8 hours and 45 minutes”, then I’m saying “It’s 8 hours and 25 minutes” . . that makes for a long trip because even I was thinking we would never get out of the car.
For the trip back to MO, I have $20 – 15 ones and 1 five (because that’s all the ones I could come up with around here). I’m going to tell her that every hour, I will tell her how much longer we have but every time she asks me how much longer, she has to give me back $1. When we get to her house, whatever money she has left, she gets to keep.
Yes, it’s a bribe but it’s also a small price to pay not to have to count down every minute of a 10 hour trip.
You can bet there will be a couple of times when she’ll say “Granny, How much . . “. She’ll catch herself and finish it with some random question.
I have books, drawing materials, a package or two of stickers, and DVDs that she’s never watched.
Anyone want to guess how much she’ll still have when we get to Missouri? I’m thinking $18. She’s a fast learner and she’ll have million thoughts running through her head about what she wants to buy with that money.
The best news is that I can’t imagine her ever coming back to Texas so her trips to see me will be 45 minutes instead of 10 hours.
Valerie Zagami says
Bribes are important for the little fast minds! Think of them as love taps! And sanity savers//
Sharon says
Sounds like a great idea! Some people may be using this tip on their next trip. If I had kids, I know I would. ?
vivoaks says
When my parents moved to Dallas we made the 24-hour trip from PA once a year. Everytime one of the three asked how much longer, their dad would say 5 hours. It didn’t matter if we had 12 hours or 5 minutes…the answer was always the same. We were thrilled when they moved to North Carolina, only 10 hours from home!! We didn’t visit this year because of Covid, but since dad is 98 and mom is 87 we figured we shouldn’t take the chance.
Sara Fridley says
What a good idea!! I keep smiling to think you were worried that Addie would want to go back home after just a couple of days – and here she is still having fun after a month. Yay!! I have 2 grandkids here just for the weekend (ages 5 and 8) but I don’t think I have the energy any more to have them here for a month. Good for you!!
Elle says
That is NOT bribery. It’s brilliant 🙂
Jen says
Lol! That just an Incentive! Like a bonus at work for a job well done.
Kathleen R Robin says
I agree it is brilliant you are one smart grandma
Sandie Mackintosh says
I’m so very happy for you and Addie! Happy that you were able to find a home close to Chad, Nicole and Addie, so that you will be able to see her much more frequently than you have, But especially glad that you were able to have her spend over a month there with you and Vince in your Texas home. It’s something she will remember forever!
Cheryl Lorence. says
What a great idea! I’m going to pass this idea along to my kids for their vacation trips. The grands are always asking that irritating question! LOL!
Susan Nixon says
I’d probably have gone with a $10 maximum. LOL You are setting a precedent, in case she ever does travel back with you on your visits, so you might want to either get her a timer that counts down (there’s one on my iPhone) so she can check for herself, or let her know this is a ONE time deal. LOL
Judy Laquidara says
I actually feel better giving her $20 than letting her have control of an expensive phone! 🙂
I did think about $10 instead of $20 but I figured with the trip being 10 hours, she may run out of money halfway through and then there’s no incentive to stop asking. I think she’ll learn after losing $2 or $3.
Paula Philpot says
Sounds like a good idea.
Lorraine says
I did the same thing when my kids were little….except it was an attempt to extinguish bad bad behavior…..and they started with a roll of nickels!!! It was a few years back……?
Nelle Coursey says
I think this is a great idea! Sometimes you have to do what you have to do!!
Rosalie says
Maybe she needs a little clock or timer. Of course she probably can see the clock on the dash.
You could also give her a little map and have her mark off the towns as you get to them- a geography lesson. She will be able to see progress.
Karen Sutton says
It’s not a bribe, it’s a reward for good behavior:)
Amy Makson says
Sounds like a great idea!! What bribe? lol
Ruth says
“Mark off the towns” – that’s a great idea! It helps a person to be able to “read a map” when traveling long distances. Get a map/book and show Addie the route, show her how to read the legend at the side that shows types of roads and campsites, etc. Show her how to calculate with her finger length, how many miles still to go by the map scale, etc. She could have a whole new skill ready to use before you start that 10 hour trip.
Unless of course as usual you have already left…..