Can you imagine family life without a car? Some families do manage to go car-free, but for most, a car is an essential. As a parent, it can feel sometimes like you spend more time in your car than you do at home. Between school runs, clubs, sports and trips to see family and friends, there’s a risk that modern families spend more time travelling than they do enjoying each other’s company.
When Day-to-day Life Starts Revolving Around The Car
Let’s take a look at how we use our cars in a typical month.
First, there’s the day-to-day stuff. If you’re a two parent family, you may both have a commute, which means time in the car at the beginning and end of the day. Then there are the kids. If you have more than one and they both go to the same school, then great, enjoy it while you can! It won’t last. You’ll end up rushing from one school or college to the next, pushing through the traffic to try and coordinate pick-up and drop-off times.
Then we’ve got kids’ extracurricular activities. Kids play outside far less than previous generations, but they do a lot more structured activities. While this can have a lot of benefits, it has led to the rise of the so-called ‘car-to-class’ lifestyle. Anyone who has spent the hours after school ferrying children between dance classes, football club and brownies will understand this phenomenon all too well.
Add in weekend trips, visits to friends, grandparents and other family, and you can see how stressful the driving can become.
Could A Move Make Life Easier?
If all of this time in the car is taking its toll, it might be time to reevaluate. Where you live may once have been perfect, but as family life changes, it may no longer serve you well. Try an experiment. Over the course of a couple of weeks, make a note of everywhere you drive as a family. Everything for weekends away to trips to the supermarket.
Plot each destination on a map. Now look at where you live. Are you at the centre or has work drifted further away than you’d like? Do all of those short trips to clubs feel worth it? Would you like to be closer to family? (Keep in mind that if you did live near grandparents, they might also be able to help with lifts!)
If you decide a move is worth exploring, consider all your options carefully. Moving with a family can be stressful, with school terms to consider, so you may prefer to use a cash house buying service to sell your house fast, giving you more certainty and flexibility.
Put Family Back At The Centre
Although it may not feel like it at the time, your time with your children will be over in a flash. Don’t waste it all in the car. Prioritise the time you spend together as a family instead, making memories and enjoying each other. If this means a couple of class cuts or a house move, make it happen for your own happiness.
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