I’ve seen many movies and tv shows in which annoying young children in cars pester their parents with the question “Are were there yet?”
Neither my brother nor I ever asked the question on a road trip, so I’m wondering, is this just a movie convention, or do children actually ask this?
And if they do ask, why?? Obviously if the car is still in motion, you’re not there yet. Why ask something to intentionally annoy your parents? I never found being yelled at after pissing off my parents any fun.
I vaguely remember asking my parents this.
I seriously remember my ex’s son asking this. I think it’s kids’ way of asking how close they are to the destination. Time drags for little kids waiting to get somewhere.
This statement, in conjunction with the OP proves that you were never really a kid. So, what system did you come from?)
While I, of course, was never so foolish as to ask such a question, I certainly remember my younger brothers asking it on numerous occasions. Now that I am a parent, I can attest that my children have also been infected by this particular death wish.
It is slightly more common to here “When are we going to get there?”, but “Are we there, yet?” has been whined by both of my children on numerous occasions.
Well obviously you and your brother were patient, well-behaved kids who managed to entertain yourselves on trips. “Are we there yet” is a generic phrase for the whining that restless, bored children do on long rides. Just wait till you encounter one sitting behind you on a long plane ride and you can’t escape! (or… you may have one or two of your own some day :eek:)
If only that was the worst my kids did…::sigh::
[minor hijack]
I’m relatively certain my parents had to put up with that from the three of us. As my kids are approaching that age, I almost posted a question several weeks ago asking if this happened in other countries. Is there an equivalent of “Are we there yet” in German, Italian, Japanese or Swahili? Dutch, I suppose…
[/minor hijack]
God no. We used to argue frequently on trips “stop touching me! Leave me alone!” but we never did ask if we were there yet. My brother, though, being the smart little kid he was, would ask when he was old enough to read if X location on the highway signs was about X amount of time away. Usually, he was pretty close, and would be happy to have guessed correctly. Then he’d behave for 10 minutes and I could go back to my book. You know, whoever told my parents that having kids 6 years apart would make them get along better lied. Until he was 12(and I left for college) we always got on each other’s nerves.
I’m with Sycorax: “‘Are we there yet’ is a generic phrase for the whining that restless, bored children do on long rides.”
My guess would be that it should be closer to “Aren’t we there yet?” It’s not asking “Are we there?” but rather “Why aren’t we there?” which is a marginally less vapid question.
I ask that question now anytime I’m not driving.
I don’t know about German, Italian or Swahili, but I can confirm that a similar form of the above question have been uttered by children in Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, and Danish.
I can also confirm that it is just as annoying in the above-mentioned languages.
Jack
In Swedish it is not a similar form but the negative of it. “Är vi inte framme än?” (Aren’t we there yet?).
Dutch brats will either say “Papa, is het nog ver?” (Daddy, is it still a long way to go?)[sup]1[/sup], or “Zijn we er al bijna?” (Are we almost there yet?). Of course, the frequency of the question is related to the temperature in the car as well as the distance yet to be covered.
[/quote]
[sup]1[/sup] = Or Mama, of course. And then there’s the truly annoying brats that get to call their parents by their first name. Of course, parents like that are just asking for trouble. 
Imagine the scenario. A 10-year-old, a 9-year-old, a 7-year-old, and a 3-year-old, with grandparents, parents, and an aunt and uncle, traveling 1000 miles to the “Happiest Place on Earth®,” back when the speed limit was 55. With the older people in the car who had to stop at every rest stop to pee or get coffee.
Needless to say, every time one of the adults turned on the turn signal, all four of us kids would shout “Are we there? Are we there?” It was agonizing, both for the kids and the adults. I think the experience drove my grandfather to alcoholism :eek:.
Long Story Short: It’s not just a sitcom convention. I lived it.
I used to drive kids for hours on end one summer when I worked at a summer camp. If anyone asked “are we there yet?” the answer was always very easy.
“Yes, we’re there. So get out.”
Sad to say, no one ever did.
Baba Ram Dass’s kids asked “Are we here yet?”
–Nott
I remember asking this question repeatedly when I was little, it wasn’t to annoy my parents, I just had no concept of distance at that age.
So my parents developed a generic answer: “Just around the next corner”
A lot of Dramamine in the trip plans?
The only way my sibs and I wouldn’t be asking this is if we were unconscious.
“He’s touching me”, “he’s on my side” and “I wanted the window” were big faves too.
[Wakko]Are we there yet? I’m tired. I’m hungry. How far? My nose is snotty, need to move my body, gotta use the potty, better stop the car.[/Wakko]
I got lost in central NY this weekend while driving with my brother, and I, the driver, asked him, the passenger, if we were there yet.
But, I digress. We both used to ask that question of our father on road trips.
I used to hate riding in the trunk afterwards, too…
My 25 y.o. wife asks me this everytime we are on the highway for longer for 1/2 an hour. It gets repeated about ever 15-20 mins therafter. I am sure 90% of the time its in jest, but not all the time…