5 Reasons Family Road Trips Kill Your Soul Dead

My family and I went down to Hilton Head Island over President's Day weekend, and I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about going to the beach in February. But, believe it or not, the weather totally cooperated and we had an absolute blast. In fact, I wouldn't change a single thing about our vacation. Well, with the exception of the car rides to and from.

Because driving 436 miles with an infant, three 4-year-olds and a 10-year old truly sucks. Here's why:

Soul iz deadz.
Limited vocabulary
For adults, a long car ride presents the rare opportunity for us to collect our thoughts. But kids can't really do that, at least not to the extent that we can. Think about it: the average adult's vocabulary consists of 6,000 words, while the average 4-year-old's vocabulary is only 350 words. What's more, studies show that during prolonged car rides, a 4-year-old's vocabulary actually drops to just three words: "How," "much," and "longer."

Related: 14 things every mom should have in the car

Soul iz deadz.
No concept of time
But I don't even know why they constantly ask, "How much longer?" They have absolutely zero concept of time. For example:
Triplets: How much longer?
JCO: 4 hours.
Triplets: How long does that take?

Soul iz deadz.
It's all relative
The triplets are four. I'm 42. So eight hours to me is like 84 to them. And, if I'm being honest, I'd wager to guess that I'd probably lose my shit at some point in time during an 84-hour journey. (But five minutes in? C'mon, kids. Work with me.)

Related: 25 road trip songs for kids (that WON'T drive you crazy)

Soul iz deadz.
No one's got the drugs I need
For the kids. They lose it because they're so anxious. There's something that helps ease anxiety, you know, but I'm pretty sure dosing your kids with a couple of pre-trip Xannies is frowned upon. Not that I've ever thought of doing that or anything.

Soul iz deadz.
Inventors aren't getting it right
C'mon, people, you gave us hand sanitizer, so how about the Car Potty Seat? We could call it the Cotty Seat. BOOM. You'll be rich, I'll be happy.

For 3 more ways family road trips kill your soul, visit Babble

MORE ON BABBLE

13 quick energy boosters (from A to M)
13 MORE quick energy boosters (from N to Z)
12 silly ways life changes after kids
10 things I learned while road tripping
12 road trip stops that will help kids love family vacations

Stay connected. Follow Babble on Facebook and Twitter.