My earliest memories of family life was traveling around town in the family sedan. This was a daily ritual, as it seemed we always had to drive somewhere across town.
Father in the drivers seat, Mother beside him, us kids in the back.
That is one of my clearest memories of childhood; all of us in the car, driving across town a for bite to eat, grocery shopping, meeting someone up somewhere...
As we kids got older, we started to call "shotgun" whenever we could, no longer satisfied to sit in the back seat. As kids became licenced drivers, we looked for the opportunity to sharpen our skills every chance we got. Meaning a parent would scoot over and let us try taking the wheel.
Eventually, we left home to start our lives, and on return, the kids began to do more of the driving whenever we were with our family of origin, parent in the side seat.
Years pass, as parents became grandparents, it was not unusual for my wife and I to take the front, and for my parents to ride in the rear seat.
Now, as my kids are adults, I'm finding myself more calling "shotgun", as THEY insist on taking the wheel for our short forays.
Although I'm not in the back seat yet, I know one day it's coming. And so it goes, the wheels of life, and the wheels of the family sedan.
Bil Cusack
Hey, Bil - can you remember, before seat belts, when your dad would put out his arm to stop you from going forward when he came to a quick stop? Even now, I sometimes do it to the person riding "shotgun", even though it has been unnecessary for years.
ReplyDeleteHa! It was my grandmother that did it with me. As if somehow it was protection... I smiled then and now.
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