Earning money

We have taken many long car trips with our children, now 15 and 13, and are planning a trip to Texas this summer. Here are some tips that have worked for us, in no particular order:

• Books on tape or CD — “Harry Potter” is particularly engaging — we hardly remember crossing Iowa listening to book 6.

• Put a crib sheet on the seat under the car/booster seat — the elastic holds it in place and it will catch any mess.

• Make the kids “earn” their spending money for good behavior. Our kids earned a quarter for every 15 minutes they behaved as we drove to Yellowstone National Park at ages 3 and 5. They were so excited to spend “their” money in the gift shop, and we enjoyed two very well-behaved travelers.

• For the younger ones, especially around potty-training time, pack a portable potty and some diapers. If you have to stop beside the road, it’s much easier on the child to have something familiar to use — going in the woods isn’t easy for little ones. Use the diaper to catch and dispose of the mess.

• Get up early to start the drive. It’s exciting to watch the sun rise and, in the summer, it’s much cooler in the morning. Then stop for breakfast as your first break.

Lisa Mohan, Hopewell Township

Are we there yet?

We took a long trip several years ago to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It was about an 11-hour trip. We had three vehicles and eight children under 10 years old.

We were not looking forward to hearing, “Are we there yet?” for 11 hours, so we made a deal with the kids. They got to travel in a vehicle with their chosen cousins, and they each got a roll of quarters to start out the trip with. Every time somebody asked “THE” question or any version of it (determined by the driver) they lost a quarter to the driver of the vehicle; if they didn’t ask it they had $10 to do whatever they wanted with once we reached the destination.

This worked out wonderfully, and only one driver received any money — $0.75.

We also supplied the older kids with maps so they could follow along with the trip and see for themselves how much longer it would be. On the way back, we left late at night and thankfully everybody was tired and the kids slept most of the way. This worked well for our kids at that age, but I’m not sure it would work again since $10 doesn’t seem enticing anymore.

Colleen Vrankin, East Hopewell Township

Fishing in the car

As a reward for good behavior, my children would get to “go fishing“ in the car for special treats that I had bought ahead of time and brought along on the trip. I would make fishing poles for each child — something as simple as a heavy string tied and taped around a ruler. Make sure the string is heavy enough and long enough so that the child can easily cast their line from the back seat to the parent sitting in the passenger seat in the front.

You could also tie on a simple lightweight weight (like an eraser, plastic bottle cap, etc.) on the end to make casting easier. The line doesn’t have to be long as I would almost catch it in order to not be a distraction to the driver and since the kids were young.

Depending on the age of the child, designate a period of time that the child has to have good behavior during the car ride before they can “go fishing” for his/her reward. I would usually pick between 30-60 minutes depending on the age of the child and the length of the car trip.

After the set period of time of good behavior (I told them the amount of time but wouldn’t let them keep asking me “Is it time yet?“ or else that could drive you crazy and defeat the purpose of some peace and quiet for the parents) my kids would cast their fishing line to me in the front seat and I would bend down and pull it like there was a fish on the line.

I had several treats ready for the car ride so that the monotony of a long ride would be broken up with the anticipated surprise. Dollar stores and craft stores are great places to find inexpensive rewards.

Here are some ideas. It is usually a good idea to bring a lap pad for each child so they have a work surface in the car.

• A few pages from a “paint with water book,“ which is perfect for no mess in the car. Give each child a lap pad and put a cupholder with a little water in it attached to the window next to the child. Give them a Q-tip to dip in the water and “paint“ away. The colors magically appear when a little water is put on the paper.

• A few pages from a coloring book and some new crayons

• A new toy from the dollar store

• A few pages from a coloring book that comes with clear markers that produces colors only on special paper

• A new book

• A special food treat that you might not normally allow like a special candy that would take a LONG time to eat (a Tootsie Roll Pop for example)

• A simple no-mess craft the child can do themselves or with just a little guidance (there are lots of ideas at craft stores like A.C. Moore or Michaels)

• A sticker book and stickers

• A maze book, crossword puzzles, etc.

Rosemary Sieffert, York