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Was desperate for some quiet time!



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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 1:45 pm
I drove an hour yesterday to meet up with some siblings in law. Dh couldnt join so I braved the drive alone with my almost 5 year old and my 2 year old. After a very long day at the beach and eating out and juggling a lot with the kids and the weather we finally got into the car to go home. My head was pounding, the sun was setting making it hard to see and I was driving new confusing roads and trying to follow GPS. I desperately needed quiet and my older DD would NOT stop asking me questions. I tried asking her 3-4 times to pls give me time to concentrate and the road and that my head is hurting and I cant keep talking but everytime she has a question she would call my name again and again and again until I would finally say "what?" Needless to say I came home in a miserable mood...
Im curious, how would an experienced mom handle this while remaining calm?
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 1:56 pm
Keep some toys in the car as a backup plan. Pull over to the side of the road, hand them each a toy, and say "You need to be very quiet now, because I have to think about driving the car. We'll talk when we get home, OK?"

I'll tell you a funny story to cheer you up. When DD was 4, we lived in a pretty sketchy apartment building on the very edge of the eruv. We were on the bottom floor, and right next to our front door was a stairway to the second floor, where all the drug dealers liked to hang out.

I would let DD out in front of our unit, where I could watch her at all times, and I let her talk to them. We had a mini garden in some flower pots, and she was really excited about it. The chatter went something like this.

"Hi, my name is DD! What's your name? I have a dog. She's a pug. Her name is Daisy. Do you have a dog? I like dogs, do you like dogs? I have a garden, see! I have beans, and peas, and carrots, and beets, and flowers - um I don't know what type of flowers but they're pretty! What are you doing? Are you waiting for someone? *phone rings* Who's on the phone? What do they want? Are they coming over to see you? Is that your friend on the phone?... HEY, where are you going????"

She literally drove them off the steps. She would. not. shut. up. These big, scary gang bangers could not deal with a chatty 4 year old who came out to talk to them every time they tried to do their business.

We started calling her "The Sonic Pest Repellent"!

Maybe you could rent your kid out to clear up bad neighborhoods. LOL
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amother
Blue


 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 2:01 pm
When my kids are distracting me in the car while I'm driving I give them a warning that if they don't stop doing xyz I will have to pull over. And yes, I've pulled over and let them know we'll be staying there until they would agree to stop. For some reason this works. I would not pull over on the highway though.
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tichellady




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 2:04 pm
I probably wouldn’t have gone at all. Kudos for you for taking your kids out for a fun day!
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amother
Copper


 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 2:20 pm
Sorry, but you can't really expect kids not to talk on car rides. It's just not realistic.
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 2:59 pm
I'm not a good driver and need to concentrate on the road. My 5 year old has a hard time with it but my 9 year old is used to it already and has been for a while now. I try to find periods of time when I'll let them talk but yes kids can be trained to not talk because mommy needs quiet.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 3:24 pm
FF- thanks for that amazing idea! Shes officially up for rent as of now! DM for details!

Tichelady- Thank you Smile I didnt have a particular urge to hang out with my sibs in law all day but my DD lovess her cousin and doesnt get to see her a lot so an hour didnt seem like such a sacrifice. When they saw eachother from down the block they went running to give eachother a huge hug! It was so sweet !!

To amother who said you cant expect kids to be quiet, I just wanted to know if there was a way to explain to her that for a little bit I need to concentrate. This wasnt a long term expectation of always needing to keep kids quiet in the car. I know thats a lot to ask..

To amother who trained her kids to keep quiet - its amazing how kids can be taught anything. Good for u for keeping it safe for yourself on the road!
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ectomorph




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 3:36 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
FF- thanks for that amazing idea! Shes officially up for rent as of now! DM for details!

Tichelady- Thank you Smile I didnt have a particular urge to hang out with my sibs in law all day but my DD lovess her cousin and doesnt get to see her a lot so an hour didnt seem like such a sacrifice. When they saw eachother from down the block they went running to give eachother a huge hug! It was so sweet !!

To amother who said you cant expect kids to be quiet, I just wanted to know if there was a way to explain to her that for a little bit I need to concentrate. This wasnt a long term expectation of always needing to keep kids quiet in the car. I know thats a lot to ask..

To amother who trained her kids to keep quiet - its amazing how kids can be taught anything. Good for u for keeping it safe for yourself on the road!

You can explain but I would lower your expectations to " If she does thats absolutely amazing".

She's not even 5 yet lol... The impulse control is pretty low at that age.
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esuss




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 5:12 pm
I turn on a CD in the car that they love listening to and that distracts them from the constant chatter. I also explain that until we get to the highway I have to concentrate on the GPS. If they know that they just have to wait a short time they should be able to sit quietly.
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dancingqueen




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 5:16 pm
esuss wrote:
I turn on a CD in the car that they love listening to and that distracts them from the constant chatter. I also explain that until we get to the highway I have to concentrate on the GPS. If they know that they just have to wait a short time they should be able to sit quietly.


This. I always have music, and if I really need to concentrate I tell them “mommy really needs to concentrate right now.” But I don’t expect total silence with young kids by any means.

And that sounds like an exhausting day cut yourself some slack!
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bassarah1




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 5:42 pm
not a super experienced mom and maybe not the best one lol, but I let them watch something on my phone or tablet. in case anyone needs suggestions on youtube they have the whole marvelous middos machine in a puppet show, its like two hours plus long and keeps them quiet for a while (plus I kind of like the tunes Smile )
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Aug 19 2019, 5:47 pm
I had a 7+ hour drive today and my 11 year old granddaughter was also getting bored so I let her ask the questions to Hey Google and it answered even while on navigation.
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