1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: It's the Happy Families podcast. It's the podcast for the. 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,399 Speaker 2: Time poor parent who just wants answers. Now. 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 1: Hello, this is doctor Justin Colson, the founder of Happy 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: Families dot com dou and the host of Channel Mine's 5 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: hit TV show Parental Guidance. Did I say host? I 6 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 1: just promoted myself. I'm the co host and I'm the 7 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: parenting the expert on the show Parental Guidance Season two 8 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 1: coming soon. I'm here with Kylie, my wife from Under 9 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: Our six Kids and the author of the world famous 10 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:35,480 Speaker 1: Kylie's Corner on the Happy Families membership. Yes. Now, we've 11 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: made a commitment for these school holidays that we are 12 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: not going to be doing any road trips longer than 13 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: two hours, and it's been really nice to not travel 14 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: very far. But we have had to do a couple 15 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: of road trips from the Sunshine Coast, for example, down 16 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: to Brisbane Gold Coast, and we were fortunate enough to 17 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: sneak across to Tangalooma on Morton Bay Island as well, 18 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: which were Morton Island, I should say, which was which 19 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: was so much fun. So we thought, if you've got 20 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: any more road trips planned for the last couple of 21 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: weeks of the school holidays, we should do a podcast 22 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: to give you a few pointers, a few tips for 23 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,279 Speaker 1: getting through road trips with little kids, with big kids, 24 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 1: and with grumpy partners and spousers who hate being on 25 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: the road and get frustrated when other drivers don't drive 26 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: the speed limit or when the freeway supposedly freeway is 27 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: more like a car park. Why are you looking at 28 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: me like that? Are you saying something with that glance 29 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: at me? 30 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 2: Like? 31 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: Are you suggesting, missus coolson, that my driving is not 32 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: great for road trips. 33 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 2: I'm suggesting that if you wanted to review that for 34 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 2: one of your New Year's resolutions, might be a really 35 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 2: good place. 36 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: Do you know what? I have been getting better and 37 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: better at this. I know that I have my moments, 38 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: But anyway, let's not go there right now. We're trying 39 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: to minimize the road rage, especially inside the car. So 40 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: tips for road trips with the little kids, big kids, 41 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: and everyone in between. Where do you want to start? 42 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: This is food? This is your specialty to be food. 43 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah, But we've got to be careful with 44 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: the food, right because little kids, particularly but even big 45 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: kids can sometimes make awful messes and then you've got 46 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: to clean it up, get it out of the cracks 47 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,959 Speaker 1: of the car seats and that kind of thing. But food, 48 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: food is food. 49 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 2: Well, if there's something else in their mouth, they can't cry, right. 50 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: Okay, So you want to have treats and you also, 51 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: you don't really want to be stopping every half an 52 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: hour at the. 53 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 2: Next supermarket of the next there's going to be enough 54 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 2: toilet stops, so if you can limit the other stops. 55 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:31,679 Speaker 2: So make sure you've got enough water in the car. 56 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: I'm that driver though, when you get on the road, 57 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: I don't want to stop. You want to go to toile. 58 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: All right, we'll stop at the next town and I 59 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: say that name. The next town is like one hundred 60 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: and fifteen. 61 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 2: CA's or just well early enough. 62 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 1: The kids, hold on, they do, that's right, just stretching 63 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: their bladegead. 64 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 2: We've had a couple of kids who we swear they 65 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 2: just needed to test out every town. 66 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: In the toilet andund oh gosh. So plan your trip, 67 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: make sure you know where your stop's going to be, 68 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: and have food and water on board so that you 69 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: can minimize those stops, and so the kids can. I mean, 70 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: it's boring sit in the car. Let's be honest. Oh 71 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: totally okay. Next one, pack. 72 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 2: As light as you can without sacrificing the things that 73 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 2: you need. Yeah. 74 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's been a couple of times where I've gotten 75 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,239 Speaker 1: that wrong and we've had to buy We've had to 76 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: buy everything that we needed when we got there because 77 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: we packed two well, and. 78 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 2: Then we've got things wrong on the other end where 79 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: we've taken so much stuff that there's just no room 80 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 2: to move and it's very uncomfortable. So you want to 81 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 2: make sure that the car's got enough space in it 82 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 2: for everybody to kind of move without sacrificing the things 83 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 2: that you actually need. Yeah. 84 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: Next one. 85 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 2: Music. Obviously, some families are not going to kind of 86 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 2: jump up, up and down over this one, but music 87 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: has played such a huge role in our kids' lives. 88 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 2: There are so many different games that we've played with there. 89 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 2: Sometimes it's just, you know, each person gets to be 90 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 2: in charge of. 91 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: The next play songs whatever. 92 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: For you know, fifteen or twenty minutes or whatever it is. 93 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 2: But then we play you know, name that tune where 94 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 2: we hide the screen, the led screen at the front 95 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 2: and they have to guess what the song is. The 96 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 2: girls actually play what do you call it. It's kind 97 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 2: of like the music alphabet. 98 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, they just play games with songs. You've got to 99 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: come up with every song that you can think of 100 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: that is about dreams, for example, that's about dancing, and 101 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: it just song titles or song lyrics where that comes up. 102 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: And that's kept them entertained for ages. Ages, but when 103 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 1: they're little as well, I mean, let them, let them 104 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,479 Speaker 1: listen to their favorite music. It makes it so much 105 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,919 Speaker 1: more fun. Our favorite has our favorite one that we 106 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:33,840 Speaker 1: found that works really well for card trips. I don't 107 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: know if I'm going to call her a favorite is 108 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: on Spotify. If you just google the go On a Gang, 109 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: and there's a whole lot of great Australian songs that 110 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: the kids just love, They absolutely love, and you do 111 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: get to a point where we've had enough wiggles, right, 112 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: so the Go On a Gang is kind of like 113 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: tolerable for a while. What's the next one? 114 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 2: Podcasts and audio books? 115 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, for sure. 116 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 2: You know, there's such a large variety of things about 117 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 2: for our kids these days, and sometimes when things have 118 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 2: got really out of hand, we actually just put some 119 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 2: really calm, classical music on to just calm everybody down. 120 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: And well, I don't love it if you've got older kids. 121 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,359 Speaker 1: Every now and again, I think it's fine to just say, guys, 122 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: put your headphones in. We're got to sit in silence 123 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: for the next half hour or so. Just listen to 124 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 1: something on your headphones, look at your phones, do whatever. 125 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:24,840 Speaker 1: I don't like doing that though, because sometimes it's hard 126 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: to get them back out of it. They just think, well, 127 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: this is now where I can live for the rest 128 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: of the car trip. And I guess it depends on 129 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: how long the car trip is. Short ones, I'm not 130 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: a big fan of it at all. Long ones not 131 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: such a big deal. 132 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 2: Well, I know that you're really big on the kids 133 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:43,600 Speaker 2: not having a huge amount of screen time, but I 134 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 2: do know in the early days we used to have 135 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 2: they used to have the LED screens in the back 136 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 2: of their head rests, and to be honest, it actually 137 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 2: just made the trip that much more comfortable for everyone. 138 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 2: The kids weren't distressed, they weren't upset because they were 139 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 2: completely engaged in whatever they were watching, and it just 140 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,719 Speaker 2: made things a lot more comfortable for the whole car. 141 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: And you remember those trips where I wouldn't let them 142 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: do it. 143 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 2: It was awful. 144 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:10,480 Speaker 1: Thank you, it was awful. 145 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 2: But in saying that, I often would do the Brisbane 146 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 2: to Sydney trip on my own, so for all intents purpose, 147 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: single parent with six kids in the car, and this 148 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 2: actually just made it manageable. So if that's something that 149 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 2: you've got available to you, I'm going to say, go 150 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 2: for it. 151 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: How many more have you got just one for little. 152 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 2: Kids car packs, just packing a few little things that 153 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 2: are specifically for them and them alone, and everyone's got 154 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 2: their own means that they've got something of interest. 155 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: Books, spinners, coloring in, whatever it is that'll get you through, 156 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: and it will make the road trip bearable hopefully. And 157 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:48,720 Speaker 1: every now and again, you know what, sometimes I just 158 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: got to stop the car, get them out of the car, 159 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:52,840 Speaker 1: put them on your knee and give them a great 160 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: big hug. Say I know anyly there. 161 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,239 Speaker 2: After years and years and years of doing the Brisbane 162 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 2: to Sydney road trips, we have multiple places along the 163 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 2: road where we can go, oh that's the park that 164 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 2: we stopped multiple times to just let the kids run 165 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 2: themselves ragged for a little bit. 166 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: And sometimes you've actually got to stop and let them 167 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: do that. So we hope that these ideas will be 168 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: helpful if you have any further road trips to do 169 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: during the holidays. Back tomorrow with a great conversation with 170 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: Mayor Friedman. I can't wait to share that with you, 171 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: And then we're going to arrest the tricky topic of 172 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: sleepovers across the summer. That's Thursday's podcast. Looking forward to 173 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: that one as well. It's the Happy Families Podcast summer 174 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: series with Justin and Kylee