As a mom, grandmother, and soon-to-be great-grandmother, safe driving is incredibly important to me. Making sure our kids don’t distract our driving is challenging, but staying focused is crucial. Juggling kids and the road feels like needing four brains, but with the right strategies, you can keep everyone safe without the need for shouting. Keep reading to see how I manage it all without losing my sanity!
Make Sure They’re Entertained
It’s the most obvious solution, but we need to find the right sort of entertainment for your children to be distracted while you’re on a long journey. While games, tablets, and similar options offer a simple solution, they won’t help if your child gets car sick easily. Instead, try giving them music and headphones to keep them entertained. You can ask your children to play amongst themselves, but this often leads to arguments that will distract you endlessly!
Keeping Them Happy Before Getting In The Car
Kids get distracted in the car when they’re bored, so keep them happy before the ride. Feed them beforehand and pack non-spill snacks and drinks for long trips.
Keeping Yourself Focused
If kids distract us, is it their noise or our low tolerance? Instead of blaming them, we can stay focused to prevent accidents it’s better safe than sorry!
Unfortunately, with these types of situations, it’s the only way many children will finally learn their lesson. But this means that we have to take it upon ourselves to develop our tolerance to noise. There are two solutions to this; we can learn how to focus better and find coping strategies, but we can also employ the stern parenting approach.
Instead of shouting, pull over, and wait for silence. It really works, especially on trips kids are excited for! Since distracted driving is a major cause of accidents, staying focused is just as important as minimizing distractions.
