Steering Your Kids Right

I grab my car keys off the dining room table, slip my two year old’s feet into her boots and call out to my eight year-old son to hurry up.

“Get in the van, Jackson! We don’t want to be late.”

Yes, it is “taxi” time—and just like most families out there, our family spends a lot of time driving! The car may not be our favorite place to spend time, but at least we are together.

As parents, we can make all that time together in the car a positive bonding and teaching time. And if we’re not mindful, kids can also learn our bad drive-time habits. It’s happened to me. Those eyes and ears may be in the backseat, but they are paying attention!

Five ways to model positive behavior in the car:

1. Obey the Law.
It sounds simple enough. We are all law abiding citizens, right? Wrong!

I don’t know about you, but I tend to speed a bit. And what about following signs? I have made a few illegal U-turns in my life!

We may not be perfect all the time, but we need to be aware that through our driving decisions, we are demonstrating to our children how much we value rules and laws.  And when our kids learn to drive, they will be all the more likely to speed and break traffic laws if they watched us do the same things.

2. Put down the cell phone.
Where I live, talking, texting or dialing on a hand held device while driving has now become illegal.

But whether it is a law or not in your area, your kids will notice if you choose to stay focused on the road, or if you pick up the phone and disregard safety.

3. Keep reactions and temper in check.
Maintaining our cool and offering forgiveness to fellow drivers is an incredible opportunity to model grace. If we react angrily to other drivers we are teaching our children that losing our tempers and having tantrums through glass windows is acceptable.

4. Make good listening choices.
Music is a powerful medium. It can alter moods and pass on values. As parents, we need to pay attention to the messages of our music choices. Many mainstream artists and songs are inspiring and positive. The key is for us to be aware of the music playing.