Q. Besides Jill McCoy’s “Ramp of Silence,” another trick to help drivers of kids concentrate is to have a challenge to see how long the kids can hold their breath.
Craig Erb, Morgan Hill
A: Hmmm. So maybe that is what my parents were doing with my brother and me. Our record was three minutes. Jill tells kids they’re entering the “Ramp of Silence” when approaching a tricky merge and says the kids know it means to be quiet during that move. Here is another way to quiet the kids while driving.
Q: As a homeschooling mom of three kids, one of the things I did was drive far and wide around the Bay Area on field trips. From Sunnyvale that might mean a drive to the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory in Berkeley or Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz back in the day before GPS. Some destinations, like the Exploratorium, required more city driving in areas that were unfamiliar.
We always listened to audiobooks, and I would tell the kids while getting off the freeway that we would have to pause the book so I could pay close attention to the signs. I would even tell them that this was not a good time to have an argument, so please pause any disagreements until after we parked. This brought quiet to the minivan and I could focus on finding the necessary signs.
The kids would be on the lookout also, so I had four pairs of eyes covering every direction. We always made it to our destination safely and on time.
Leslie Gates, Sunnyvale
A: Smart mom and now other ways to reduce distractions.
Q: Finding parking spots is one of my talents. I have several very effective methods, and one of them is to turn the radio down when I’m in a parking lot so I can hear a shout if I’m about to back into someone, or a car door slam or an engine start, signaling that someone is about to back out.
Tony Hoffman, Loretta G., Ann Foster and so many more
A: Parking lots are hot spots for collisions. Too many cars, too little space, stressed and hurried drivers make for a bad mix.
Q: Mr. R, I also turn the radio down or off when I need to concentrate more. Even though I’m quite the old duffer, I still have hearing better than Rin Tin Tin ever did, even as a puppy. Too much sound short circuits my brain cells.
C.R. Lomax, Oakland
A: Great hearing, and great advice.
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