Honestly, I’m posting because I find the idea of “car rules” ludicrous and anal-retentive. I am expressing my opinion. I am not obligated to agree with yours. You may disagree with my disagreement. It’s a free internet.
The only rule I had, and that I really enforced was the shotgun seat rule.
My two kids fought passionately over “who gets to sit in front.” And while they couldn’t remember how to pick up their dirty socks from the living room floor, or remember how to empty the dishwasher, by God they could remember with exquisite detail who last sat in front.
It took some tricky reasoning to come up with something equitable, otherwise, we’d probably still be standing in the driveway today, while they argued it out.
Daughter’s birthdate is the 26th: 2 + 6 = 8 => EVENS
Son’s birthdate is the 16th: 1 + 6 = 7 => ODDS
I then merely had to ask whether today’s date is EVENS or ODDS. As my son got older, he became slightly displeased with the fact that there are apparently more even days on the calendar than odd ones. Or so it seemed to him. But since we didn’t ride in the car EVERY single day of the week, I told him it all balanced out in the end.
My daughter just turned 29, my son is now 26. To this DAY, if the EVENS/ODDS rule is mentioned, they’ll start arguing all over again!
~VOW
What the heck is it with kids? Mine argued all the time over this too.
“She had it last; I get it this time right?”
Me: “I’m not going to fight your battles for you. You two decide between you or I’m not leaving. Your choice.”
My (almost) 13 year old son capitulates to his older 14 year old sister pretty much all the time now, since he’s come to realize it really doesn’t matter.
Well you could have just said that I was a overly-controling “minemineMINE” freak and the communication would have been more clear than just another thread shitting ‘roll eyes’.
I hope you have a nice day in whatever you drive.
But, damn, people were trying to have a little fun in here. I guess we can all walk home now.
For the record, he had gotten some cinna-minis from Burger King - mini cinnamon rolls that you dip into icing - and he dripped some of the dipped while driving. Nothing like white sugar icing on black upholstery…
Man, I gotta remember this for if/when I have kids. My brother and I never fought over the front seat because while we argued about pretty much everything else, for some reason he had this strong sense that riding shotgun was just one of those Older Sibling Privileges and thus I always got the front seat with no discussion (still do, in fact). But this seems uncommon.
My rules: Everyone must have their seatbelt buckled before the car comes out of park. If the weather is bad or the traffic conditions are tricky, shut up and let me concentrate or I will tell you to shut up and I won’t be nice about it. Person riding shotgun is expected to provide assistance as needed with navigation and retrieving items inside the car.
Climate control is flexible within my range of comfort. I don’t really care about the radio but it better not be too loud and it better not be politics.
Oh, that method would NOT have worked with mine. They’d still be in the driveway, and both would be half dead and bloodied, but the argument would still be active.
I needed a method that was INSTANT. The nastiest fights were when we had to leave RIGHTTHISMINUTEDAMMIT.
And the EVENS and ODDS, while not perfect, made the world a little more peaceful.
~VOW