Monday, August 13, 2012

MY CAR

When Hubby first brought up the idea of moving from The City to The Suburbs my initial response was, “How am I going to get to the store?” It really did not occur to me that I would want to drive to get my grocery shopping done. See, I’m a City Girl, and I was being asked to use a CAR to GO OUT. This was a completely foreign idea to me.

“You know,” said Hubby. “You may end up finding a car to be a convenience.”

Inconceivable.

As it turns out, a car can actually be a useful thing to have.

When my older son was born the car was the one place we could be sure he would fall asleep. I remember one particularly bad night early on when he wouldn’t stop crying and at about 3:00am Hubby went into his room; a few minutes later I heard the front door slam. In my sleepy state I momentarily wondered where they could possibly be going in the middle of the night, but then decided the answer could wait until morning and rolled over to go back to sleep. It turns out they had gone out for a drive around the block, and after circling around five times my son had finally fallen asleep. 

My car has also become somewhat of a sanctuary for me. When I need a break from dirty diapers and spit-up I get behind the wheel, pump up the music and head for the open road. Sure, most of the time I end up at Buy Buy Baby for some emergency Diaper Genie refills (seriously, how many of those things can a person go through in one month?), but along the way I get some much needed private time and return home rejuvenated.

Of course, my sanctuary is often invaded by two small children who need to be transported to music class, doctor appointments, the playground, etc. And the car does not seem to magically lull the Baby to sleep as it did for Big Bro. Is there anything more frustrating than hearing a baby wailing in the backseat when you are driving and cannot stop? And if the Baby does miraculously fall asleep, Big Bro will choose that moment to insist I turn off my “boring” music and turn on his CD. He has also become a little bit of a back-seat driver. ‘Mommy, there’s a red light up ahead. Mommy, watch out for the big truck. Mommy, there’s Old McDonald’s, can we stop for fries?”

I was not immediately sold on the idea of having a car, but now, just like my iPhone, DVR, and Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Green and White Iced Tea, it is a luxury I cannot imagine living without.

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