![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mom-gene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/highway-1209547_1920.jpg?resize=567%2C378\")
<\/p>\nRemember when thinking about the future meant Twilight Zone music and Astro from the Jetsons and Marty McFly on his hover-board? Remember when Orson Welles convinced the world aliens had invaded and Spielberg made people cry in A.I.? Remember when texting wasn\u2019t a thing and the \u201csmart\u201d in smartphones meant \u201cneat\u201d? The future has always been a mix of fear and excitement.<\/p>\n
Self-driving cars have received a great deal of both: pure joy at the thought of reading the paper during rush hour and sheer terror at riding shotgun to a machine. But as a parent, I\u2019m all for the self-driving car. I\u2019ll be clapping from the sidelines when these things go mainstream and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be alone. Here are six reasons that will make every parent root for the self-driving car.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As a mother to a son with special needs who will most likely not be able to operate a vehicle, I\u2019m raising my hands in hallelujah to anything that can bring him independence. Imagine it\u2019s like hailing a cab, but it\u2019s your cab and always at the ready. He will have freedom to storm out of the house or meet up with friends or simply go to dinner by himself.<\/p>\n
As a daughter to parents whose driving habits are slowly but surely raising my blood pressure, I\u2019m ready for them to have the option of some safe back-seat driving. They can get out from behind the steering wheel without giving up the control.<\/p>\n
Self-driving cars bring independence and freedom for those who might not have it otherwise. They also take the pressure off us, the would-be chauffeurs.<\/p>\n
Everybody always needs something the minute the seatbelt clicks. Put the car in drive and suddenly every bladder is full, every tummy is hungry, every toy and shoe has dropped beyond reach, and everybody is bored.<\/p>\n
Until they install a soundproof limo window in every car, I\u2019m rooting for the self-driver so I can quiet the cries and meet the needs en route. Imagine the fights that would cease and the car games you could play if your eyes didn\u2019t have to be on the road.<\/p>\n
You know that image in your mind\u2019s eye of the exhausted parent driving aimlessly through town at 2 a.m. so the baby will sleep? Imagine if you could sleep too.<\/p>\n
This is my dream, my waking wishful thinking, that nap time can be enjoyed by kids and grownups alike. I\u2019m not talking a cross country all-night snooze, but a five-minute power nap now and then couldn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n
I dislike public transportation for many reasons: the grab bars in the subway that are somehow always filmy with an unknown substance, the close standers, the coughers, and the talkers. But I was never more productive than when I rode the rails. It\u2019s amazing what you can get done when you\u2019re trying to avoid eye contact with twenty strangers on a twenty-minute commute.<\/p>\n
Now imagine if you could have this any day in the privacy of your own car. Forget rush hour traffic expletives. You\u2019ll be buzzing through your inbox and reading the news highlights with your favorite Spotify playlist.<\/p>\n
Do kids still ask for \u201cgas money\u201d these days? I would if I could.<\/p>\n
As it is, I scout gas stations like a ninja for the lowest prices. I will not tell you how far I\u2019ve driven in the name of 2 cents, nor will I admit the illogic of it.<\/p>\n
But if self-driving cars really can make the trip more efficient with their steady drive, then I\u2019m saving time, stress, and money. Win. Win. Win.<\/p>\n
Do I really need to say anything more? Yes, it is important that teenagers master the art of parallel parking, lane navigation, and the ten-and-two hand position on the steering wheel. But it\u2019s also nice to know that if they are out late or up early I won\u2019t have to worry about tired eyes behind the wheel, or texting eyes for that matter. I want a world where every other driver isn\u2019t weaving like a drunkard while trying to find the right emoticon.<\/p>\n
I’m thinking out loud<\/a> and I know there\u2019s a great deal of hype, both positive and negative, about the self-driving car. I understand the fear of giving technology one more foothold in an already technology-driven world. But as parents, you have to admit, if the car comes equipped with snooze time, work time, and play time, the pros are looking pretty good from our end.<\/p>\n *This article was originally published on Parent.co<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Remember when thinking about the future meant Twilight Zone music and Astro from the Jetsons and Marty McFly on his hover-board? Remember when Orson Welles convinced the world aliens had invaded and Spielberg made people cry in A.I.? Remember when texting wasn\u2019t a thing and the \u201csmart\u201d in smartphones meant \u201cneat\u201d? The future has always been a mix of fear and excitement. Self-driving cars have received a great deal of both: pure joy at the …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[86,11,26],"tags":[55,54,84,15,210],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mom-gene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/car-867231_1920-e1506099267113.jpg?fit=1920%2C1142&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8ca5p-B3","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2297"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3661,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297\/revisions\/3661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mom-gene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Would you buy a self-driving car?<\/strong><\/h2>\n