My Dad provided a lot of life commentary when I was young.

There was one phrase he would use when we took car trips. He was usually the driver. This may be different for some families depending on which parent prefers driving. But even when Mom drove, I don't remember her using this phrase.

The phrase I have in mind would come out at various points along our journeys and described a specific phenomenon.

Our little nuclear family had our specific spot in the car. This arrangement started with Dad in the driver's seat and Mom in the passenger seat. Then my older brother behind Mom and me in the back seat behind Dad. I think I usually sat behind the driver, but some of those moments are foggy now.

We would drive to our destinations in our respective positions and sometimes I would nap a bit along the way. My brother usually had to nap to avoid feeling sick because he never was very good at riding in the back seat of a car.

I wouldn't specifically notice anybody else sleeping, but I was the youngest, so I didn't always have to notice.

When we would stop, everyone would sort of wake up if they'd been sleeping and ask where we were and what time it was. Dad would give us the time and location info while joking and telling us he had been "transporting sleeping bodies." I always kind of felt a bit cut by that phrase. I always felt like he was annoyed that we had checked out and left him in those moments.

"Transporting Sleeping Bodies"

I had one of these moments this weekend. Not quite the same set up but in the same area.

I took the Solid Baby out for a walk around the neighborhood in the jogging stroller. Now if you know what a jogging stroller is, you know it's a baby stroller with large bicycle-style wheels meant to roll smoothly on most terrain, but certainly on suburban sidewalks. I usually like to backpack the baby these days, but this time I intentionally took the jogging stroller because it was nap time and I knew she wasn't going down without a fight.

I pressed on into the neighborhood with the baby in the jogging stroller. I took my normal two-mile route. I listened to my downloaded podcasts and went on my way. The top of the stroller has a little open netting where I can see her through the fabric cover. I proceeded to walk and watch her as I went. She was looking all around at first but about a mile in I realized I had reached my goal of a napping baby.

That is when it hit me.

That phrase from the past that I had perceived as negative came flooding back.

"Transporting Sleeping Bodies"

Ok maybe it was just one in this case, but the idea was the same. I realized there were no negative connotations in my reflections on transporting the sleeping baby.

I quite enjoyed what I was doing.

I've been in this spot on trips the last couple of years with the rest of the family as well but I guess the baby really brought it home.

When dad said he was "transporting sleeping bodies," it wasn't meant to be negative. Perhaps I misinterpreted his solemn tone as negativity. I was the sleepy kid back then after all.

Now I'm in a position where I'm the one "Transporting Sleeping Bodies."

And I'm happy to be here.

…

MAS

more parenting articles you may enjoy: