Life on the Road

When I was a kid, I was always amazed at how many rules my parents had for when they were driving. Rules like “you can’t touch your sister” and “do not hit the driver.” I recently composed a list of some of my own driving rules, and was surprised by how they had changed since I got my drivers license:

• The car is not in gear if the seatbelts are unfastened.
• If the driver wants a drink, it is handed to her, already opened.
• If the driver is hungry, ready-to-eat food is placed in her open hand.
• There is no smoking in the car.
• There is no hitting the driver.
• The driver gets to steal your sunglasses if she needs them.
• There is no yelling at the driver, no matter how badly she has interpreted your map-reading skills.
• There is no pinching/poking/touching the driver.
• The driver can hand you something and you have to take it, even if it’s garbage.
• The driver makes all the rules.