SAN DIEGO — Have you ever gone on a road trip with kids younger than five? If you have, you  know how stressing it can be.

Early last Friday morning I started my trip to Houston, Texas, without kids. It was relaxing and stress-free. I reached Houston Saturday afternoon around two of three, rested for about three hours. By six I was back on the road with  my sister Keishaunna and our niece Angel and nephew Trea.  We were taking the children to visit their grandma in San Diego and to await the return there of their mother, Lisa, from the military.

Five minutes into our two-day drive back home and Angel was sleeping. Trea on the other hand was wide-awake and hungry. “Auntie I hungry” he said “can I have a burger?” I said “ no Trea, there are sandwiches, chips, granola bars, fruit snacks back there;  eat one of those until our next stop.” He had a fit and threw a bag of chips out the window.  “Trea, what is wrong with you?” I demanded. “You don’t throw stuff out the window, that’s dangerous to the other cars.”

He replied, “I’m not talking to you.” Now I was kind of happy at this point, figuring if he doesn’t talk, that means he will fall asleep. If he sleeps then I would get to relax. Nope, he didn’t talk to me, but he had a really annoying monkey toy that he played with for a good 30 minutes before I just couldn’t take any more. “Trea” I said in the sweetest voice I could manage “ Why don’t you give the toy a break? You want to listen to some music? Are you tired?” He says “ No auntie I woke, I not sleepy” then went back to his toy.

An hour elapsed before he stopped playing with the toy and started looking outside the window. Angel by now was awake, and the first thing she said was,  “Auntie I pee myself.” She began fiddling with her pants. I smacked her hand away and said “no, Angel don’t play in it, just…wait, hands up” and then said to my sister. who was driving “you have to pull over real quick, Angel used the bathroom on herself”

She looked at me then in the rear view mirror, then at Angel, pulled over, and then started talking on the phone. I hurried to the back seat of the car to change Angel’s clothes, retrieving another outfit from the trunk. In less then five minutes we were on the road again. At this point my sister was on the phone with her boyfriend, Angel and Trea were playing in the back seat, and I was trying to read a book. Time went by, traffic was light, and the babies were hungry.

“Okay,” I said, “its our first break. What do you guys want to eat?” Trea did not have to think twice “I want burger, Auntie”

“Okay thank you Trea, Angel what do you want?”

“I want hmmmmm” Trea leans over and says, “Angel wants burger” ”

Trea let Angel speak please, Angel do you want a burger?”

Angel says “yes.” ”

“Okay burger it is.”

We found a Carl’s Jr. We used this time as a potty break for all of us. My sister took them to the bathroom while I placed the order– a ‘famous star’ for each of them and a large order of fries to split. To me the famous star is good because it’s big and I figured I wouldn’t have to worry about them being hungry for the rest of the night.

“Auntie this sandwich is really big,” said Trea at the table. ”

“Good” my sister responded.  “Then you won’t be hungry for awhile right?”  “Yup, its good” I say “You like it Trea? Can you finish that?”

“No I full”

“Okay we’ll wrap it up.  Angel how are you doing” “I full too”

“Angel you didn’t eat the patty, whydo you eat around the meat?”

“I don’t want it”

“Can I eat it?” asks Trea.

“Trea you didn’t even finish yours; how can eat hers?” asks my sister.

We wrap up the food and start back out on the road. It’s around eight, and we are wondering if we should keep driving or stop somewhere. We just keep driving, switching turns, one going to sleep while the other drove.

The babies were talking and playing in the back seat. When they fell asleep about ten, we pulled over, gave them a pillow and put the seats back so they could lay down and sleep without their necks hurting. I love when they go to sleep because when they do, they sleep for like forever.

Day Two of our road trip, all I wanted to do was sleep. The babies awoke around nine in the morning. We stopped for the morning break, stretched our legs, and took care of the morning routines. After an hour, we were back on the road.

“Auntie we been in car for long time, where is the house?”

“I know Trea, I know. We are almost there, just have Arizona left.”

“Auntie?”

“Yes Trea”

“When will we be home?”

“In about ten hours”

“That’s long time”

“Yes, yes it is” I said, “so relax and enjoy the ride”

” Auntie I thirsty.”

“Me too,” said Angel, suddenly taking an interest. “Want apple juice”

“Look down there, Trea, and get you and Angel a juice box, just one, and open it for her too. please try not to spill”

One hour later, “Auntie, Angel have pee”

“Trea by you saying ‘Angel’ do you mean you?”

“Yes, auntie I go pee real bad”

We stopped for another potty break. In the next six hours of the ride we hit traffic twice, and had to stop three more time for false-alarm potty breaks, as well as for a lunch break during which they ran around and played.

We finally got to LA.

“Three more hours then you guys can see grandma.” i tell them.

“Yaaaaaaaay grandma is there, Angel;  Angel grandma is home”

The last hours went by nice and easy. Angel got all the way to San Diego before she had to go to the bathroom.

No sooner did we get back on the freeway, then Trea had to use the bathroom.

It seemed like every ten minutes one of them had to go to the bathroom.

At last, we got home and I got them out the car. They raced to the front door, knocked and yelled for their grandma to open it.

She did and they rushed to her arms.

I walk past her and declared: “They are all yours, I’m going to bed.”

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Boyd is a student in Media Comm 132.  She may be contacted at [email protected]