Using Drive Time with Your Kids As Quality Time

Daddy Clay: How many hours a week do you spend driving to school and activities with your kids? Do you think of it as quality time? May be you should. This show is brought to you by Baby Bjorn. Quality time deserves quality gear. Baby Bjorn. The other day Mommy Octavia visited our place for a glass of wine which she does that a lot. And I was complaining about the driving Coop to school that morning because it was one of that morning it was rainy, and the Stay at Home Moms are causing grid lock in the drop off with their giant SUVs. Does it really take an Armada to get a 2nd grader to school? So I'm complaining about that and she says it like have you notices I have been observing since you started driving coop to school your relationship has really changed you got some bond in it. Have you noticed? So the obvious answer is "no," because like most parents, I'm so busy 99% of the time I am very too busy for self reflection or self awareness this is why you invite your neighbors over and fill them full Chardonnay, so they can tell you the truth about yourself so any way the light goes on cure it. The drive to pre-school has changed my relationship with my son. And perhaps well it should. Fifteen minutes each way. That's 30 minutes a day. Two and a half hours a week, ten hours a month. 80 hours over the course of the school year. That's a long weekend just with my kid. Daddy Clay: You have but it is that you have it in your Male Speaker: -- Daddy Clay: It's the Chinese Zodiac, right? Male Speaker: Yes, Chinese Zodiac. Daddy Clay: Last school year my wife took him to the daycare she had lunch with him every day, did most drop-offs and pickups. And he definitely had a preference. But this year something definitely changed and I can hardly notice. Did you do that in the school today? Male Speaker: Yeah. Daddy Clay: What is it? Male Speaker: It is a heart. Daddy Clay: I'm revaluing my commute. I used to think of it as transitory time, between A and B where it is okay for me to sort of sinks into myself. But now I'm that actually place where I am with my kid. So the phone is getting turned off. That is not time for a last phone call of the day. I'm turning NPR down, there's always time to listen online later. What I am going for silliness, goofy conversation, crazy jokes little question about what ever happen at school that day. Today it was a pretty special day at school isn't it? Male Speaker: Yeah we got a cookie and we got to look in our bags as on the candy in there. Daddy Clay: Next year my little guy is going to take the bus to school. So it's really just kind of a little oasis, this nine-month of commutes we have together. So I have decided that my commute is precious. Its quality time almost daily that I spend with my youngest child that's going to go away in just three short months. Thanks for our sponsors Baby Bjorn, Hey, listen do me a favor if have got some ideas about ways for me to make my commute time quality time please go to dadlabs.com, join the conversation there. We will see you next time on quality time. Male Speaker: It's always a red light when we come here. Daddy Clay: We always seem to catch the red lights, are you in a big hurry. Male Speaker: No Daddy Clay: Not doing anything but sitting here. Male Speaker: I know. Daddy Clay: Talking to you which is kind of nice. Male Speaker: And I love you! Daddy Clay: and I love you too.