Getting Beyond "Are We There Yet?"
To me, a road trip exploring points unknown is heaven. To my children -- as is true with many kids -- such an outing is often torturous. Even as young adults, they still want to know (even if they don't verbalize it as frequently) "are we there yet?"
I am working hard to rejigger their perspective. As they have gotten older, I believe we have made some progress.
Alex, the future construction/engineering mogul, has learned to revel in the architectural details of older buildings. Stirling is happy as long as stops along the way feature shopping for clothes, shoes, jewelry or countless other girly pleasures.
Playing music we can all sing along to -- whether classics from the '60s and '70s or more up-to-date hits -- has helped. One-on-one trips with free association interaction can also make the time seem to fly by.
But I believe what has changed their outlook the most is sharing my passion for inquisitve exploration and community storytelling with them. Asking questions and then sitting back to listen as the stories flow can be addictive. As a result, Stirling and Alex are learning to appreciate the lessons and heritage to be found in small town America. Meaning a lot less "are we there yet?"
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