We were fortunate enough to spend the weekend with some family friends at their stately cottage. My in-laws brought along my two-month old nephew, which officially marked his first-ever road trip. He was extremely well behaved, but my God, people aren't lying when they say having a kid makes it harder to travel.
The big difference I noticed was the baggage. My wife and I had three neatly packed bags total, filled with casual clothes, a couple of toiletries, and a heap of leisurely reading material. The in-laws, by comparison, were carrying enough gear to equip a small army: diapers, bottles, milk supplies, cloths, wipes, bibs, blankies, many spare clothes, a pack and play, a car seat, and a bunch of other currently unidentifiable doodads that I'm sure were absolutely crucial to the baby's continued survival. Oh, and two small bags of hastily packed clothes for themselves.
I can sit by the lake and read all the zen books I want about lack of worldly attachments and reducing your possessions, but I can't wait to see how they hold up when I'm confronted with the screaming, crapping, voracious little fluid-producer that is my spawn. Traveling light and enjoying the scenery seems to be a thing of the past when those little ones come along, though I guess you get the bonus of seeing the world anew. I am actually extremely impressed with how well the in-laws managed. They had to forgo a placid jaunt around the lake on the boat, because we didn't have life-preservers, but otherwise they chatted and participated very calmly over the whimpers and occasional wails of their little one.
All in all, I do think little nephew's first road trip was a success. While I'm perhaps a little more worried now about the day when I, too, must pack for my own personal army of one, I suppose that adding all these hurdles ends up making you a more patient, adaptable person in the long run. I guess the only thing to do at this point is to grab the situation by the suitcase and say "Bring it on!"
The big difference I noticed was the baggage. My wife and I had three neatly packed bags total, filled with casual clothes, a couple of toiletries, and a heap of leisurely reading material. The in-laws, by comparison, were carrying enough gear to equip a small army: diapers, bottles, milk supplies, cloths, wipes, bibs, blankies, many spare clothes, a pack and play, a car seat, and a bunch of other currently unidentifiable doodads that I'm sure were absolutely crucial to the baby's continued survival. Oh, and two small bags of hastily packed clothes for themselves.
I can sit by the lake and read all the zen books I want about lack of worldly attachments and reducing your possessions, but I can't wait to see how they hold up when I'm confronted with the screaming, crapping, voracious little fluid-producer that is my spawn. Traveling light and enjoying the scenery seems to be a thing of the past when those little ones come along, though I guess you get the bonus of seeing the world anew. I am actually extremely impressed with how well the in-laws managed. They had to forgo a placid jaunt around the lake on the boat, because we didn't have life-preservers, but otherwise they chatted and participated very calmly over the whimpers and occasional wails of their little one.
All in all, I do think little nephew's first road trip was a success. While I'm perhaps a little more worried now about the day when I, too, must pack for my own personal army of one, I suppose that adding all these hurdles ends up making you a more patient, adaptable person in the long run. I guess the only thing to do at this point is to grab the situation by the suitcase and say "Bring it on!"
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