Things I remember about riding in the car as a kid:
1. We never wore seat belts.
2. In 1977 my parents bought a new car. A brown Chrysler Cordoba. It was considered a “compact” car – by today’s compact standards it was huge.
3. It was nice to have a new car; but, As the youngest I was always stuck in the middle – between my brother and sister who got the window seats.
4. There seemed to always be a “stay out of my space” fight- the words “Don’t touch me!” came up a lot.
5. I remember being tricked by my siblings with word games – one went like this: I saw a skunk on the side of the road and I one it. The next person said, “I two it”… the next said, “I three it”… The point was not be the one who said “I eight it.” But, somehow I always ended up getting “eight” AND, I wasn’t as clever as my brother who, when it came his turn to say eight said, “I jumped over it and YOU ate it!”
6. Sometimes my parents would let me sit in the front seat between them. (It was a nice to be small and to get in the front when my brother and sister were fighting.)
7. We also owned a station wagon. When more adults were in the car (like my much older married siblings) the youngest kids had to ride in the “way back.” There were no seats in the way back – just a flat space for us to share.
What do you remember about riding in the car as a kid?