Our family road trips had become four people in a car, each wearing earbuds, each in their own world. The kids watched movies. I listened to podcasts. My husband drove in silence. We could have been strangers carpooling.
Last summer, before our 12-hour drive to the coast, I set up Family First's 'Family Time' mode for the entire trip. No social media, no YouTube, no games. Music and maps only.
By hour three, our 11-year-old asked, 'Mom, what was your life like before you had us?' We talked for four straight hours.
The first hour was rough. Complaints, boredom, 'Are we there yet?' on loop. But then something beautiful happened. Our daughter started reading road signs out loud and making up stories about the towns we passed. Our son spotted license plates from 23 different states. My husband and I talked — really talked — for the first time in months.
We invented a game called 'Two Truths and a Dream' where you share two true things about your day and one thing you dream about. My son said he dreams about being an astronaut. My daughter said she dreams about living in a treehouse. My husband said he dreams about us growing old together on a porch. I had to pull over because I was crying too hard to drive.
Now every road trip is phone-free. The kids don't even ask for screens anymore. Last month, our son said, 'Road trips are my favorite part of vacation.' Not the destination. The journey. Because that's where the family happens.
