My dad gave my mom one driving lesson in the 1940’s. I was probably about 8 or 9 and I was in the back seat. He never did that again, and I have never found anything since that scared me more than that day. Unfortunately for him, a few years later, I learned to drive well enough to ding the family cars, so his relief was short lived.
Dad tried that when we were flying to Louisiana in the Piper Super Cub to pick up a part for the crop dusters. Didn’t work well at all. He very quickly had me fly from the back seat so he could look around.
I’ve never gotten carsick, thankfully. Reading in the car isn’t anything I’ve even tried in so long, I don’t remember when, though, because when you’re the one driving, reading isn’t an option.
I can’t even listen to books on tape; I get too engrossed in books, so that would be a dangerous diversion. Distracted Driving is something I do not do.
One reason my sister’s family in NW Illinois never visited us in Cheyenne (granted, small city rather than farm) is that if they drove out they would “have to” spend a day at the Adventureland amusement park outside Des Moines, making the one long or two longish day trip three days.
As a kid, I could stand highways, but put some curves in and the only way to keep the car smelling okay was to (literally) put me on the right front fender and drive really slow for 10 or 15 minutes, then let me have front shotgun at normal speed for a half hour, maybe an hour if I was lucky, then back to the outside. Interestingly, my sibs, who normally fought like puppies for the privilege of front-shotgun never complained… again…
The whole issue went away as soon as I got behind the wheel. I never did come to a solid conclusion, but probably it was because I had a little control and that pacified my inner ears.
This is tried and true, just so you know. I was probably one side or the other of fourth or fifth grade, on a summer-vacation road trip around Hartwick Pines State Park in Northern Lower Michigan. Back roads, lots of curves and hills. And it turns out that, whatever people want to say about the inner ear and vestibular system, the eyes all by themselves are a plenty effective trigger of those floating-stomach vertigo sensations, and when you compress and magnify those hills and curves through the lenses of binoculars, the vertigo magnifies, too.
I’m going to say the thrill ride lasted maybe a half an hour. The headache and stomachache lasted well into the next couple of days. But the memories haven’t faded after almost 50 years.
Let me add that this is one more piece of evidence that I had possibly the world’s most tolerant parents. They HAD to know that was one of my more stupid ideas, and that kids that age, when they suffer, do not suffer alone. They also had to know the odds of my throwing up from the exercise (on the high side of 50/50), not to mention the odds that any throwing up would be done while leaning over the front seat between the two of them (100). So, yeah. If anyone out there is thinking of having a weird kid, I know who they can look to for parental role models.
Kroykali over 5 years ago
Trying to read in the back seat did it for me.
sandpiper over 5 years ago
My dad gave my mom one driving lesson in the 1940’s. I was probably about 8 or 9 and I was in the back seat. He never did that again, and I have never found anything since that scared me more than that day. Unfortunately for him, a few years later, I learned to drive well enough to ding the family cars, so his relief was short lived.
Pete.Keillor over 5 years ago
Dad tried that when we were flying to Louisiana in the Piper Super Cub to pick up a part for the crop dusters. Didn’t work well at all. He very quickly had me fly from the back seat so he could look around.
llong65 over 5 years ago
i’d like to try that, but i’ll be the one driving.
ArtisticArtemis over 5 years ago
I’ve never gotten carsick, thankfully. Reading in the car isn’t anything I’ve even tried in so long, I don’t remember when, though, because when you’re the one driving, reading isn’t an option.
I can’t even listen to books on tape; I get too engrossed in books, so that would be a dangerous diversion. Distracted Driving is something I do not do.
gcarlson over 5 years ago
One reason my sister’s family in NW Illinois never visited us in Cheyenne (granted, small city rather than farm) is that if they drove out they would “have to” spend a day at the Adventureland amusement park outside Des Moines, making the one long or two longish day trip three days.
Concretionist over 5 years ago
As a kid, I could stand highways, but put some curves in and the only way to keep the car smelling okay was to (literally) put me on the right front fender and drive really slow for 10 or 15 minutes, then let me have front shotgun at normal speed for a half hour, maybe an hour if I was lucky, then back to the outside. Interestingly, my sibs, who normally fought like puppies for the privilege of front-shotgun never complained… again…
The whole issue went away as soon as I got behind the wheel. I never did come to a solid conclusion, but probably it was because I had a little control and that pacified my inner ears.
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 5 years ago
Blog PostsFrazz19 hrs ·
This is tried and true, just so you know. I was probably one side or the other of fourth or fifth grade, on a summer-vacation road trip around Hartwick Pines State Park in Northern Lower Michigan. Back roads, lots of curves and hills. And it turns out that, whatever people want to say about the inner ear and vestibular system, the eyes all by themselves are a plenty effective trigger of those floating-stomach vertigo sensations, and when you compress and magnify those hills and curves through the lenses of binoculars, the vertigo magnifies, too.
I’m going to say the thrill ride lasted maybe a half an hour. The headache and stomachache lasted well into the next couple of days. But the memories haven’t faded after almost 50 years.
Let me add that this is one more piece of evidence that I had possibly the world’s most tolerant parents. They HAD to know that was one of my more stupid ideas, and that kids that age, when they suffer, do not suffer alone. They also had to know the odds of my throwing up from the exercise (on the high side of 50/50), not to mention the odds that any throwing up would be done while leaning over the front seat between the two of them (100). So, yeah. If anyone out there is thinking of having a weird kid, I know who they can look to for parental role models.