Every year, more
new cars, especially family vehicles like minivans and SUVs,
can be purchased with built-in DVD entertainment centers.
The feature is a treated as a big selling point, the way
a built-in stereo and air conditioning were in the old days
before those items became standard. I wouldn't be surprised
if, in a few years, it becomes hard to find a family-sized
vehicle that doesn't come equipped with the technology to
watch the latest Hollywood release in the back seat.
When I turn on my TV at home, I can't help but notice all
of the ads depicting happy families rolling merrily down
the road while the passengers watch gorgeously unfolding
scenery outside and inside the car windows. The TV spots
usually look something like this: relaxed parents smile
at each other in the front seat while their content children
watch a family-friendly DVD in the back. Lilting, upbeat
music plays as the camera pulls back to reveal a beautifully
gleaming automobile winding its way through fields of rolling
hills or down a meandering coastline road. The ads make
these vehicles look like the perfect way to enjoy the great
American family road trip.
I have to admit, when I see those images, I find myself
wishing I had a DVD player in my car. I'd love to hit the
road on such a worry-free vacation. And when I think back,
I can remember some pretty miserable moments on road trips
with my family, especially when our kids were little. When
they went stir crazy in the back seat, my wife and I sang
songs, made up word games, told stories - we tried anything
to pass the time as the seemingly endless road rolled under
our minivan's tires. But sometimes nothing worked. In those
moments, I'm sure it would have been nice be able to pop
in a video and calm everyone down.
On the other hand, I'm glad we didn't have a DVD player
on those trips. Some of my favorite family memories recall
those moments when we had to figure out how to get along.
And if we'd had the entertainment system, my kids would
not have been so amazed by the places we went. Even the
Grand Canyon is no match for some computer-generated landscapes.
I'm not against DVD players in cars. I think they can be
a godsend and a good option for creating real family togetherness.
But as we fill our lives with technology, it gets hard to
put careful limits on use. And the fact is, most kids already
spend too much time in front of screens. When we're on the
open road, we have a chance to give them a break.
Movies are wonderful, but we owe our kids more than what
Hollywood offers. When we take them out into the world,
we should help them see more than what they could have seen
on the couch at home. DVD players in cars are just fine,
as long as they get turned off sometimes so we see what's
out the window.
David Walsh, Ph.D. is the founder of the
MediaWise Movement, a program of the National Institute
on Media and the Family (www.mediawise.org).
His latest book, No: Why Kids - of All Ages - Need to
Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It (Free Press) is
available in bookstores.
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