The Right Packing List

I have fond memories of road trip summer vacations with the family. Now, car travel was much different then...back in the olden days. The packing list for entertainment included books(yes, actual books with pages that turn), a deck of cards, a camera and even,(gasp!)film! We would wile away the driving time singing to the radio, or talking about the scenery zipping by our car windows. Now all grown up with a family of my own, we were recently preparing for our own road trip vacation. Something struck me while I was calling out the packing list to my four kids. iPhones? Check. Charger for car? Check. Charger for hotel room? Check. DVDs to watch in car? Check. Are they appropriate for all of you? Yes. Earphones? Got'em...and two extra just in case some get misplaced. See? A little different from the list of my childhood. Now, it's the last item on the list that I immediately regretted. Yes, those little buds posed a big problem. As we headed out going east on Highway 14, I spent a good seven minutes, very animatedly telling my family what sights we were going to see and what fun we were going to have. When I finally ended my speech, exhausted from the excitement, I was met with: silence. When I glanced back, I realized they all had their earphones in. Didn't hear a word I said. So we went old school for the rest of the trip. We sang and talked and laughed and got back to what makes living today, The Good Life.