ARE WE THERE YET?

Do you remember those long road trips as a kid?  They seemed to go on forever and yes we nagged and nagged to find out how much further.  I am dating myself now but I clearly remember us three kids in the back of the car in the era before seat belts standing up and leaning over the front seats so we could have a good view of the road ahead.

There was no such thing as video games, ipads or head phones.  What on earth did we do to while away the time?

Well we would have a good fight every hundred or so miles.  If someone encroached on your space in the back or touched their elbow to yours then everyone had a hissy fit and dad would stop the car on the side of the road in order to give us all a hiding.  As I said – I am dating myself here.  Today’s parent would never dream of doing anything like that.

When we got tired of fighting we would sleep – all over each other.  It was probably the only time you were allowed to take up someone else’s part of the seat.

Then someone would always throw up.  I am talking about long journeys here – 8 hours or so on windy roads up through the heart of Britain.  My dad would get so cross he would not stop.  I think we made a bit of a spectacle of ourselves going around the traffic circle in the centre of Bristol.  Me out one window and my sister out the other.

Things are different now.  Most of us fly these long distances and for kids a plane ride is usually exciting.  There must, however, be those kids who do so much flying around the world that it just becomes boring – like those long 8 hour car drives.

So what is the solution?

Emirates has one! They have teamed up with Dr Sandi Mann, a psychologist and boredom specialist at the University of Central Lancashire to find a solution. Dr Mann has worked with the airline to create the Child Boredom Quotient (CBQ), helping parents identify the exact moment their kids will get bored so they can enjoy stress-free travel.  You can read the whole article here ….  http://travelwirenews.com/emirates-airlines-hires-boredom-specialist-to-keep-kids-entertained-485554/

As I read through the article I couldn’t help chuckling.  I could just imagine my Dad’s comments.  Let’s just say he was not that politically correct!