Home Alone

My wife and daughter elected to stay in New Jersey for a few extra days, while the boys and I drove home. It was the first time I drove from New jersey without my wife since we got married, and there were some thnigs I didn't expect.

Normally, when driving home, if the kids are sleeping and we arrive at a rest stop or service station, my wife or I will wait in the car, let the other one go to the bathroom or get a drink, and then switch places. That way, there is always an adult in the car with the kids. But things change when there is only one adult. And it gets more complex when you have to factor in the weather.

When I got to the rest stop my eight year old was sleeping, but my five year old was awake. I asked him if he needed to use the bathroom, and he didn't so I left both boys in the car, locked the door, and went inside for a few minutes. After using the bathroom and buying a Coke, I got back to the car, and drove ovwer to the gas station to fill up the car.

Once the car was filled up, my five year old told me he needed to use the bathroom. Now, the whole parking lot was a slush pool, and I could no longer drive to an area where I could enter the rest stop easily. I drove around the station until I could park, and then woke up my eight year old to see if he wanted to come out as well.

Of course, he didn't so i left him in the car, and went out with my five year ol;d and took him to the bathroom. He didn't wear a jacket inside, and as we got back to car he was freezing cold. He was about to get in the car when my eight year old popped his head out and said to too needed to use the bathroom.

I couldn't allow my five year old to wait in the car alone, but he was crying about being cold, so i gave him my jacket to help him stay warm. My eight year old put on his shoes without his socks, jumped out of the car, and immediately felt the slush freeze his little feet as it went into his shoes. He jumped straight up into the air, and ran inside.

My five year old, meanwhile, was running very slowly, and I had to try to speed him up while slowing down my eight year old. Finally, we got inside, my eight year old went to the bathroom, and we went back outside. We got to the car, but now they were cold and awake. I found a blanket in the back of the car for one of them to use, along with a sweatshirt to use as a pillow.

To my other son I gave my sweatpants for him to use as a blanket/pillow, and a T-shirt of mine that he tucked his feet into to try and warm them up.

Eventually they fell back asleep, and I was able to listen to the football game. The only problem was, I didn't really want to listen to a football game. I wanted to listen to talk radio where people call up and complain about their relationships.

My wife hates talk radio, so we never listen on long trips. I didn't know how much talk radio had changed since the days I used to listen to people calling up about their relationship and social problems. Call it a guilty pleasure, but when I was a kid I loved listening to shows like Sally Jessie Raphael. My (and my classmates at school) favorite calls, of course, were from young girls trying to decide whether or not to lose their virginity.

But that type of show doesn't exist. Or if it does, they don't play it on Sunday nights anywhere from New Jersey to Michigan. It's all sports talk and politics. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is not what I wanted to hear.

So now I am home. My wife is in New Jersey. My boys are asleep. And I am wondering whatever happened to good old fashioned I'm not sure if I'm ready to lose my virginity talk radio.