We parents spend much of our lives in the car. We run errands. We take kids to school, soccer, piano lessons, swim lessons, play dates, baseball, orthodontist appointments, and on.
I know the world's supposedly a smaller place these days. But I'm still driving 20 minutes to get anywhere. All this time on the road means that the family car has to function as a home on wheels.
When you're a freewheeling single and the car breaks down on the thoroughfare, you're about to embark on an adventure.
When you've got a minivan-load of 4-year-olds, you're about to encounter deep doo-doo. There's nothing the least bit adventurous about it.
Instead, it's time to shift into crisis-management mode. If you're prepared for all these situations, you and the carload of kids will be moving again in no time.