Comments on: The Benefits of Boredom

By: erin goodman

erin goodman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:06:55 +0000

thank you for this!

we do not have dvd players in our car, but we do bring our laptop along…just in case…when we go on long trips.

many times we don’t need it but those times we do (when i have two non-napping, over-tired screaming kids in the backseat and my white knuckles are curled way too tightly around the steering wheel) i bow to the power of a dvd.

By: Megan Fischer

Megan Fischer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:33:28 +0000

Great topic, Jeanine. Reminds me of a parent talking about another parent of a very young child who said Nintendo was great for 15 minute car rides!

There’s a lot of conversation lately about decreasing attention spans because we’re getting used to information in “sound bites” -YouTube videos, texts, tweets, etc. I feel like keeping kids entertained all the time instead of letting them get good & bored sometimes is only going to amplify those issues when they get older.

By: Jeanine Silversmith

Jeanine Silversmith — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:17:47 +0000

To be clear, I don’t think DVD players are, in themselves, bad. As I type, my two kids are parked in front of one because I’ve had enough for one day. And, by the way, my daughter is pretending she is in a car seat because she would LOVE to have one in our car! (She even constructed one out of our couch pillows for the full effect.) I just think we don’t ALWAYS have to rely on TV to get through. That’s all!

By: katy

katy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:26:53 +0000

For long trips we stockpile podcasts of WAIT, WAIT, DON’T TELL ME and THIS AMERICAN LIFE on our iTunes. It’s pretty much like using DVD player, but has more snob/natural parent gods & goddesses/snob appeal.

By: Hannah Marcotti

Hannah Marcotti — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:38:59 +0000

I remember good times with silly songs, finding different license plates and lots of eye spy with my little eye games! My kids fall asleep in the car so I don’t yet have to come up with too many things to do. Love the radio…

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:37:44 +0000

I’m an only child who once took a five-day road trip with my parents in our Datsun hatchback. Only supplies: Yes and Know books, a travel diary, some books, the view out the window, and my parents.

I struggle with the notion that I should get some electronics for my son in the back seat like a video game or DVD player. Haven’t done it yet!

So in all ways, your post resonated with me. Thanks.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:16:11 +0000

Another no DVD car here. We take a 14hr trip to Northern Ontario every year and survive to tell about it. Although it does include more “Are we in Canada yet?”s than I care to count, I am still happy with our decision. We have lots of goodies to pass the time, and I load up my ipod for the kids and put in a splitter for 2 sets of headphones. They each get an hour at the controls, and My husband and I get our music and conversation

By: Anisa

Anisa — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:25:20 +0000

Although there are times when I’ve wished for a DVD in our car, we have many fun memories of traveling without one. During our car trips we play games; Name that Tune, Find Letters and numbers outside on signs, 20 questions, Movie Trivia, etc. When my husband and I need a break, the kids always have a pile of books to read, listen to books on tape or bring along puppet or action figures…