Memories of Car Travel #3...singing

     When I was a child my family traveled by car about 10 hours to our annual vacation spot.  We broke it into two days since my grandparents lived 4 hours along the way.  I have wonderful memories of miles spent singing all the traditional fun songs [from Clementine to Erie Canal] plus some not so traditional [anyone know Abdullah Bulbul Emir? or A Capital Ship?].  My parents even put up with our ever increasingly ear-splitting versions of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!  

    Today I will be driving to the summer camp I talked about yesterday.  It will be a little over four hours round trip with thee three kids and somehow I am again reminded why my parents were willing to sing mile after mile.  Anything beats listening to children fight in a closed environment!  I have blogged before about memories of childhood car travel, but this morning am thinking of all those songs we learned.  I don't remember the effort of learning them. Did my father start by singing them over and over to us until we knew them well enough to sing along?  Did he teach us the chorus and then lead with the verses?  Had he sung them to us as babies so that we sort of always knew them?  Somehow we knew them. Whether folk songs, kids songs, or even hymns, we had a long list and could go many a turnpike exit without repeating a tune.  Granted this was before built in DVD players, before iPods, before headphones. Now that I have parented myself, and taken my share of family car trips, I have nothing but admiration for my parents patience, tolerance, and wisdom regarding family travel. Our singing [?] may have begun as a strategy for avoiding fights, but it built bonds that have lasted for decades.  

My kiddos already know many of my childhood songs.  Anyone willing to bet that I will be introducing them to a rousing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" before we hit the 50 mile mark?    We're off!     .....[Wish me luck!]