My son-in-law backs the mini-van down the driveway. My daughter and grandchildren wave good-bye as the car moves quickly down the driveway. Their annual summer visit is at an end.
The van’s top carrier is filled with “child-management equipment”— a double stroller and two pak’n plays. The van’s interior is filled with “child entertainment” items. Some books but mostly electronic gear, DVDs and players. My daughter has filled a large travel tote with treats and beverages.
The children give me one last good-bye wave, and bravely forcing my exhausted body to stand at attention for a few more minutes until I can collapse on the sofa, I return the wave, noting that 7-year-old Natalie is already looking down at her handheld D.S. Nintendo, busily engaged in a game. The twins are happy snacking on goldfish crackers, but they too, will soon be plugged into an electronic nanny— a DVD player. Their safety seats are equipped with padded, comfortable sides and mug holders for their juice glasses.
Two days of driving lie ahead for my daughter and her husband, not a pleasant prospect with two 2-year-olds and one 7-year-old strapped into their safety seats. But these parents have no idea the hardships we older folks endured on the road trips of our era. They don’t know what it’s like to take a family road trip without electronic entertainment.
Back in 1979…my husband and I made a cross-country excursion to Disneyworld, Florida, and let me tell you, it was a challenge. All our entertainment was man-made. I brought a clock so my Betsy could see the time for herself and quit asking. I brought books, James and the Giant Peach (Tom’s fave) and The Chronicles of Narnia (everyone loved) and read aloud till my voice cracked. I typed up a daily activity list so that each minute of the eight-hour drive was organized. There were designated activities—snack time, quiet time, reading time, playtime. Rest stops were frequent.
Still, by the end of the day, everyone was grumpy; at least two spats had taken place. And Dick and I were always thrilled to find a motel where we could eat dinner, have a beer or glass of wine and relax.
But the struggles of our road trips would have seemed delightful compared to those of my parents.
Back in 1957…my parents would have loved the travel luxuries of my era and could probably not conceive of today’s modern conveniences. Back then, most cars were not air-conditioned— at least ours wasn’t—so summer travels could get pretty sweaty and uncomfortable. My sister, brother and I entertained ourselves mostly by counting white horses and finding the letters of the alphabet in road billboards.
Two other forms of entertainment were available to us— fighting with each other and reading “Burma Shave” signs. Reading Burma Shave signs was even more fun than fighting.
This ingenious form of advertising was done by a shaving cream company. Six small signs, each displaying part of a rhyme, were placed at intervals along the roadside so that you had to read all the signs before the ditty made sense. The following is an example:
The bearded lady
Tried a jar
She’s now
A famous
movie star
Burma Shave
Hard to believe but this quaint form of advertising was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I imagine my parents went limp with relief every time our car passed a Burma Shave ditty. It kept us kids occupied for the next half hour as we vigilantly looked for the next one, probably fighting over who saw it first.
Doesn’t seem like much compared to an electronic game or watching an action DVD, but it did the job.
She eyed his beard
And said no dice
The wedding’s off
I’ll cook the rice
Burma Shave
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