You Pinspire Me
1. Squishing 10 Children + Driver into a 5 Passenger Car
Remember back in elementary school when the kid from the country had a birthday party and there wasn’t enough room for all the extra guests on the bus? Mom would pull up to the front of the school in her Toyota Cressida and all ten of you would pile in; two buckled into the shotgun seat, one on the floor in front of them, four on the bench in the back, one laying across, and one squished into each footwell on the floor. You’d rock out to Ace of Base for the 30 minute ride and not a soul in the car worried about safety – after all, all the seatbelts were in use!
2. Sleeping on the Floor of the Van During Long Trips
Tired? Sick of sitting beside your super annoying little brother? No problem – just unbuckle and slip down to the floor beside the sliding door for a little nap! Or, even better – those of you lucky enough to have the 12-seater Dodge van – crawling over the seats to the mattress placed in the back just for napping. Parents won’t let you sleep on the floor? No prob. Just kick your little brother to the back seat, un-buckle, and stretch out on the bench.
3. Escaping the Hot Sun by Sitting on the Floor
Even with air conditioning in the car, the summer sun can be brutal when stuck in traffic on the highway without tinted windows! Once upon a time, no one blinked an eye when you popped off your seat belt and curled up in the blessed shade in the foot well with your book.
4. Having Staring Contests with the Driver Behind from the Rear Facing Way-Back Seat
Photo Source: BangShift.com
Nothing says awkward quite like staring at a stranger for three hours as you sit in the back of the station wagon on a two-lane highway heading north. However, something about facing in the opposite direction of your parents and siblings made it feel like you were on an entirely separate trip.
5. Riding to Dairy Queen in the Back of a Pickup Truck
source: offbeat
The blissful feeling of freedom with the wind in your hair and the adults in the cab. Need I say more?
6. Sitting Between Mom & Dad on the Front Bench
Remember the days when Mom & Dad were the most important people in your world? Remember when you never wanted to be apart from them, even when you were in the car on road trips? No problem there – with a bench in the front of the car, you could just squeeze in between the two of them…just as long as your legs weren’t too long, because your knees would be changing the radio station every time your dad hit a pothole.
Now, I’m not pretending that these things weren’t dangerous – but admit it – you kinda wish that you could go back in time and ride backwards in a station wagon again, don’t you? My husband and I made some pretty small children. These poor kids are going to be in 5-point harnesses until they’re TWELVE. They won’t even be able to lean forward and grab a book out of the seat pocket in front of them, much less wiggle some of their wiggles out on the way to Grandma’s house.
Jenn vanOosten
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I must of had a very deprived childhood. I have never done any of those things.
I don’t even remember doing most of those! When did we have a Cresida?
We never had a van… and I think the only one of these I did was riding in the back of a pickup truck. That was only because one of my friends’ dad’s had a truck!
BAHAHAHAHA. THIS IS SOOOO GOOD AND SO TRUE!!! Van carpet is the WORST!!!