Oh those seemingly endless car rides full of sibling deviance and parents on the verge of pulling their hair out…

“Quit touching me!”

“Stop looking at me!”

“How many more miles?”

“Ouch!”

“You look out your window, you look out your window, and you look straight ahead!”

“Do I have to stop the car?!”

The answer to that last question and threat was either a unanimous ‘no’ or complete silence, but the bickering didn’t stop for long. A family of 5 in a car with 5 seats makes sense on paper, right? Right….

We used to fight for the seats by the doors, avoiding the center seat at all costs. You just couldn’t get as comfortable in the center seat, until it was discovered that you could put your feet up on the center arm rest between the driver and passenger seats. Ah…luxury. Just kidding. There was still no way to sleep comfortably unless one of the siblings let you lay your head on their shoulder, a rare occurrence. It wasn’t often that we got along during car rides but I do remember a few periods when we called a cease fire, or two of us did at least.

I think it started when my younger brother blurted out one time, “Stop talking, I can’t yawn!!” We were stunned and confused, and as we turned to look at him, tears began to well up in his eyes as he tried in vain to yawn. “Quit looking at me!!” he yelled, “I can’t yawn!” Then the giggling began. We couldn’t help it. He became more frustrated and started to cry. Of course, we started to make fun of him and mimic him. Mom told us to stop, and we tried. Really. For a few seconds. Some how this moment put my older brother and me on the same team. After that, car rides were more about strategy. We would wait for our younger brother to fall asleep. My older brother would lead the way and I would follow, glad that it wasn’t me getting picked on. We never did anything too terrible. Maybe a straw wrapper to tickle the nose or ear, or light reflected off a seat belt buckle aimed at the face… The picking on didn’t last too long and soon we were back to annoying and ignoring each other individually. When my parents purchased a minivan, years later, we were elated. Two of us still had to share a seat, but there was this thing called ‘space’ between us. Oh the luxury of it. The only argument then was who got the center seat alone. Some things would never change.

My brothers and I are close and supportive of each other nowadays, and I’m glad that we can laugh about those long car rides. Do you have siblings, or did you grow up with cousins or close friends? How have they shaped your relationships in adulthood?