Which Child Rides Shotgun in Your Family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Whoever rides in back gets the iPad.

Re-set the dynamic. For us, it's been win-win.

You’re a genius.

First--no ipad in the car...and Second--don't they just switch to fighting over the back now?

[Anonymous]

The child most likely to die in the next wreck rides shotgun in my car.

[Anonymous]

Both kids in the back until one of them gets a drivers license.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have two boys, ages 16 and 13. Older DS started riding in the front seat of the car at age 13 when one parent was driving all the kids. Second son just turned 13 a few days ago and the arguments immediately started as to who should sit in the front. Our 16-year-old insists that it is undeniably the "majority rule" in our area that the oldest child continues to ride in the front, due to "seniority" and as compensation for the fact that the older child eventually will be asked to drive the younger one places. 13-year-old argues his brother has already sat in the front seat for three years and thinks that at the least, they should take turns. Yes, this is a very trivial and "if that is all you have to be worried about...." type of issue, but it has been surprising how emotional our boys are about it. (What am I missing? -- I don't recall any arguments with my older sibling over this... Is it now terribly embarrassing for teenagers to have to ride in the back seat? Is this a boy/hierarchy thing? Is our family the only ones with this disagreement and it is just an indication of our boys' lack of maturity and self-absorption?)

What is the "majority rule" for this question?

Thanks!

\

Np Once I told my kids the passenger seat is the most dangerous they didn't fight over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just love that there are 5 pages of replies to a question about who rides shotgun.

I'm surprised someone hasn't drafted a 10 page regulation about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who ever rides shotgun has to talk to the driver and cannot text or play on their phone.

This is my car rule with my girls too. I have lots of fun things to talk about!

[Anonymous]

I haven't read all the responses, but certainly my brother and I argued over this. The rule is the first one who 'called it' got to ride in the front on the way there and the other one got to ride in the front on the way back.

I am sure my kids would fight over it, given the chance. I have two, so they will both stay in the back seat forever.

[Anonymous]

I have one, 13, he rides shotgun and doesn't have to call it

[Anonymous]

My kids are rarely in the car at the same time unless all four of us are going somewhere, in which case I’m riding shotgun (DH is a horrible passenger so he always drives). If they are together with just one parent and the 17 yo isn’t driving, then one rides shotgun on the way there and the other on the way home.

[Anonymous]

We would fight and take turns, but I wouldn’t leave it up to them and calling shotgun. I remember hands getting slammed in the car door by accident and once we broke the seat belt in our teens during an argument. Hopefully yours are better controlled than we were! My sister and I are both calm adults but we fought terribly over everything during those years.

[Anonymous]

My brother and rotated by month when we were kids after my mom got sick of hearing us fight over it. I told my kids to figure out a plan and they’ve got some complicated algorithm that accounts for the time they will live at home. It equalizes the shotgun time until they each go off to college. I don’t know the exact details but they do and there is zero fussing over it. I’m actually pretty impressed that their plan accounts for more variables than I thought of as a kid!

[Anonymous]

This is settled case law. It's whomever calls shotgun, once car is in view. You can't call until outside. I mean are you people living I caves?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter refuses to ride shotgun. She prefers to sit in the back with headphones on. I'd love to have this problem.

I have a 13 and a 16 year old. Neither one of them ever asks to ride up front. And I mean not once—not ever. In fact, my 16-year-old said that he wanted to wait a year to get his drivers license. If I had this problem I would probably do one week alternating for each kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both kids in the back until one of them gets a drivers license.

I told my kids when they start riding shotgun is when they start to learn to drive. I want them up front so they will see how it’s done - and not done!

[Anonymous]

Growing up it was whoever was the oldest (I was the youngest). Now I’d say have them alternate one week in front, one week in back.