A few weeks before our family left for a weeklong Disney World adventure, I posted a meme. It read, “Vacationing with kids is just parenting in another city.” Now, a couple of months removed from our Florida trip, I began thinking back on a few things I learned along the way. My hope is these theme park hacks might save you some money and frustration during your next family trip.

Maybe skip the rental car

Most of us are programmed to rent a car when we travel simply for convenience. We experienced multiple issues on our trip with two different rental car companies. One was literally the subject of a Seinfeld episode (holding the reservation is the most important part of a reservation!). Then there was the dead car battery four days into our vacation. And, finally, the dead key fob that resulted in us being stranded in a Disney World parking lot for three hours. 

My main takeaway from these incidents: maybe we didn’t need a rental car at all. 

We spent most days swimming at our resort or visiting with family staying at their nearby hotels. On the other days, we went from our resort to the theme parks and back. The rental was basically parked most of the day in an overpriced Disney lot for $25 to $50 a day. That’s on top of the rental car fee that included 10 different taxes and fees not to mention fluctuating gas prices and tolls. In contrast, an Uber from our hotel to the parks was $15 to 20 one way.

So for around $40 a day, we could have been hassle-free. And we would still have our neck pillows which were trapped in our dead car and then lost by the rental company.

Get the “fast pass”

If you are doing Disney or any theme park thing, just go all in. Buying the “fast pass” (or the park’s equivalent) is well worth the extra cost per ticket (the Walt Disney World Genie+ fast pass costs $15 per person). It allows you to skip waits for several rides throughout the day. We used ours to focus on the rides that usually have the longest lines. Then you can save your actual waiting for other less popular rides with shorter or more reasonable lines. 

Buy souvenirs before you get there

I have three kids, and I knew they would want souvenirs at Disney. So, we hit up a nearby Target and let them go nuts (not too nuts but enough to be happy). They got a branded water bottle from the $1 section at the very front of the store and then I let each of them pick three T-shirts (one for each park we were visiting). Buying nine T-shirts with their favorite characters on them for under $12.99 each saved us a bundle when shirts at the parks were $20 and up.

Pro theme park hacks: We also promised we would buy them their own “laser swords” on Amazon so they would be less inclined to want to build their own light saber in the Star Wars park at $150 per person. Not to mention, the more bought when you travel, the more to figure out how to bring back home.

Eat affordably

Breakfast, lunch and dinner add up quickly. One way to save is to stay at a hotel that includes a free hot breakfast. (“Hot” usually means a waffle maker and a tray of scrambled eggs versus cold cereal and fruit). For lunch, many parks let you bring food in, so we hit a supermarket for cold cuts and snacks.

If you want to splurge, save it for dinner. While we would have saved more by eating outside of Disney, having a reservation for one of the themed on-site restaurants proved a fun experience. It also offered a nice time to recharge since those restaurants tended to be less busy and crowded than the walk-up restaurants. 

If your hotel room has a kitchen, making a simple meal for one or two nights can really save you. Think pasta or hot dogs.

Pro theme park hacks: Bring a refillable water bottle! Many parks today have water fountains or refill stations. For example, concession stands at Disney World let you refill with ice and water for free. 

Remember to have fun

You’ll have spent a lot of money just getting to your destination. You’ll spend even more when you get there. But don’t get so caught up in what you have spent that you forget why you are there: to make good memories with your family.

Make sure not only that kids are having fun but also that they are not so tired by day’s end that they won’t want to ever go to another theme park. At Disney World, for example, the parks are huge, and for much of the year, Florida is hot. And, don’t forget, kids love to complain. Be ready for that and be adaptable because kids will be kids.

Pro theme park hacks: Take the opportunity to teach your kids a bit about the value of a dollar. When they ask for some overpriced trinket, see how much they still want it when you tell them to use their allowance. That’s how you raise a smart consumer.

Theme park hacks photo: © Rawpixel.com / Adobe Stock.

My first car was a gray Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. It featured no air conditioning and broken power steering. It offered only the last gasps of its life, thanks to having been previously driven by my dad and my older brother.

Call it what you like. A “junker.” A “clunker.” A “jalopy.” Predictably, it lasted only a week for me.

I had not thought of that first car until the wound was ripped back open as I car-shopped with our household’s first teen driver – my son, Yosef. 

Some piece of the family savings will be invested into a vehicle for Yosef. I do not, though, know if I should be buying a “junker” or more reliable car. 

Weighing the options

A few aspects of this choice weigh on me.

First, I plan to have Yosef help us with family logistics in a very limited capacity. In emergencies, for example, he’ll be asked to pick up his other siblings from practice or school.

Second, Yosef is growing up in a much bigger pond than I did. Drivers are crazier. Cars are everywhere. Also, he will be traveling virtually no two-lane streets to get to his regular destinations. Offsetting my worry is that most of Yosef’s activities are located a walkable distance from our home.

My son’s safety – the safety of any child – is a parent’s top priority. To me, buying a clunker is just fine if we have faith in it providing adequate safety. Please parents, do not fall into the trap of “safety shaming” others with kids driving old cars. Assuming the doors are not coming off in transit, the only safety issue we may run into is changing a tire roadside (or calling us from the driver’s seat to ask us to). 

Something is alluring about providing our kids with substandard quality, though. Maybe this is the “old man” coming out, but isn’t ushering a junkie car to its grave a rite of passage for teens? It is good for young people to deal with over-heating just as they will about door dings, or that musty smell from generations of wear and tear. 

Additionally, a new driver should be grateful for any car – even a piece of junk — right?  My son’s track record of taking care of items, like most teens, is not spectacular, which also weighs on me.

Creating a first-car partnership

With the decision now imminent that we will be providing a vehicle to Yosef, finding the right formula of safety and accountability lands on me. 

We had discussed purchasing a vehicle as 50/50 partners with Yosef – matching each dollar he saved. While that is fair, this relinquishes some control for us and accountability for Yosef. With busy family lives, we cannot devote the energy to being true partners our kids’ choices while driving, or have equal say in the rules before, during and after a trip.

After noodling on this for far too long, the solution we have arrived at is:

• we buy and own the vehicle
• Yosef pays a “security deposit” to us. He gets it back if the car’s condition is maintained; it’s lost if it is not.

This arrangement allows for our direct control of the vehicle. That stops Yosef from treating it like his bedroom – a messy, stinky disaster. 

As with most big parenting decisions, time will tell if this solution works. Right now, though, I remain at home with the sinking feeling.  No security deposit, no fancy new car, and certainly no smiling 16-year-old looking at us as he waves goodbye through a windshield will provide an adequate remedy.   

I will have provided in the best way I know how. 

That is all I can do.    

Until I shift my focus and call my car insurance provider for a quote. 

Tips on your child’s first car

Whether new or used, Consumer Reports recommends these safety features at a minimum for a teen driver’s first car:

• Antilock brake system (ABS)
• Electronic stability control (ESC)
• Head-protecting side airbags
• Backup camera

Parents should also check the car’s crash-test scores from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

CarFax recommends looking at cars with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone app integration, either wireless or via a USB plug, as those can help keep teen drivers from picking up their phones while driving.

Photo: ©DragonImages / Adobe Stock.

Get there early, waste time in the school pickup line waiting, get your kid first.

Get there late, waste time waiting in school pickup line, get your kid last.

Whichever path you choose, you’re stuck. Waiting. The pickup line at our preschool is kind of like a traffic jam you voluntarily put yourself into each day.

When I’m sitting in the line, I’m most likely on my phone, reading the news, listening to NPR, checking things out on FB or Twitter … stuff like that. But recently I’ve found something more interesting to do with my time: watch other people while THEY wait. The past couple of weeks I’ve noticed several types of people in the pickup line.

The Overextended Mom

I’m not sure how this parent keeps her sanity, clearly getting no break from children all day long. Even though she’s picking up a kid or two, she has at least three others that are too young for preschool in her 15 passenger van.

The Excessive Groomer

Every day it’s something: nail clipping, pimple popping, makeup applying, etc.

The Socializer 

This person is always out of his or her car, talking to everyone, every day, and usually oblivious when the pickup line actually starts moving.

The Phone Talker

This parent is on the phone while pulling into the lot, waiting for pickup, while the teacher brings kid to the car, while the teacher tries to talk about the child’s day, and when driving away.

The Organizer

I thought I’d seen it all, until this person opened her sliding van door and I peered inside. It was perfect. No junk or clutter anywhere. There was a small plastic carousel organizer full of neatly arranged crayons. What? I’d never seen anything like it. And in the backs of seats where my kids’ stuff all their trash, hers was full of coloring books, regular books, normal kid stuff. It was amazing. Maybe I should hire her.

Photo by Stan from Pexels

Were you aware that, depending on the vehicle you drive, you may be part of a special “wave” club?

Motorcyclists have a certain wave when they pass each other. They kind of take one hand off the handlebar and drop it down to the side. Jeep drivers have a special wave they give to one another. It even has a hierarchy: The person with the less cool Jeep must initiate the Jeep wave. And if you drive a Jeep Liberty, don’t even think of waving to a regular Jeep. I’m certain of both these special vehicle waves because, in the past, I’ve owned them both.

I’ve also heard there’s a special wave for Corvette owners. Since I’ve never owned a Corvette and there’s no room for car seats in one anyway, it’s unlikely I will own one any time soon. I’ll just have to take someone’s word for it.

I think it would be cool for us minivan drivers to come up with our own special wave. I have a couple of ideas, but am also definitely open to suggestions.

My first special wave is just for male minivan drivers to give to one another. It is the scissor “snip-snip” motion with your index and middle fingers. The snip-snip symbolizes that if you have enough kids to fill a minivan, you probably need to schedule yourself a vasectomy. If applicable, the responding driver could motion back with two fingers in a V shape to convey the surgery has already taken place. Maybe the female version of this could be a mom crossing her fingers to other minivans as a symbol of having her tubes tied.

The only other special wave I can come up for minivan drivers is a covering of the ears motion. This, of course, would translate to “My kids are making me crazy!” The biggest problem I see with this is, each driver would have to take both hands off the wheel to wave to one another. This would be difficult, dangerous and involve needing to put down one’s cell phone.

Any other suggestions?

A version of this first appeared on Indy’s Child. Photo: © Romvy / Adobe Stock.

Driving in traffic, especially Los Angeles traffic, sucks.

But driving in L.A. traffic with kids is the worst. And I had to do a lot of it over the past few weeks.

I used to think you really only have these options:

1. Listen to their music (usually Katy Perry on repeat).
2. Sing.
3. Play “I spy.”
4. Ignore them.

But then we found the amazing world of kids’ podcasts.

Not only do great kids’ podcasts keep your children quiet, focused and entertained during the long car trips we endure her in L.A. but we almost always learn something new about the world.

Our favorite kids’ podcasts

Good Stuff Podcast

Good Stuff Podcast is my friend Mike Mason’s podcast for kids and adults. He makes music recommendations for the family minivan, gives sports updates and trivia for the young sports lover, and tackles big issues like farts! This podcast is good for kids ages 3- to 9-years-old.

Brains On

Brains On is where kids send in their questions for real scientists and experts answer. The cool thing is the kids themselves host the show. My 3-year-old is fascinated by elevators and the story of the two “Otises.” If your children love science and asking questions, this is the podcast for them. Great for kids 3- to 13-years-old.

Circle Round

Circle Round brings folktales from around the world to life. My children enjoy the fun characters and they learn lessons about diversity, kindness, generosity and persistence. This is great for younger kids ages 3- to 6-years-old.

Pants on Fire

Pants on Fire is the antidote to a world of fake news. If you want to teach your kid how to tell truth from fiction, check out this podcast where kids interview two experts on a topic and have to weigh the evidence to decide what is genuine and what is a lie. This hilarious podcast for kids and adults might make better citizens out of all of us!

Story Pirates

Story Pirates takes stories written by kids and writes them into catchy tunes like “All Eight Unicorns” and “Annoy Your Sister School.” And they do the podcast from a falling apart pirate ship (it is part of the joke). This fun and funny kids’ podcast is great for children 5- to 10-years-old. Plus they have a book and do live shows around the country.

Wow in the World

Wow in the World! If you are an avid NPR listener, you will love this podcast with Guy Raz (my kids now sing songs about him and recognize him on the “adult” radio and Mindy Thomas (satellite radio owners may know her from Sirius/XM’s “Kids Place Live”). This podcast focuses on weird and wild things that happen in our world and weaves scientific discoveries into the crazy lives of the hosts. This one is best for the 6- to 11-year-old age set.

Do you love any other kids’ podcasts that help you get through the monotony of carpool line? Let us know! If you want to listen to something more adult, then lend an ear to these great parenting podcasts.

Podcast photo: RetinaBoys on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Earlier this summer, my kids and I embarked on a 600-mile road trip without my wife. Many people thought I was crazy, including, most notably, my wife. As is almost always the case, she was right.

The drive from our home in Florida to North Carolina was a grind and the fact that we had to turn around and do it all over again in just a few days was downright brutal. The in-between part while we were on what some might call a “vacation” wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either, although we did walk in a park at one point, which was lovely.

To make a long story short, when it was all over and we arrived home late on a summer evening, I was tired and beaten and very glad we had made the trip. Much like exercise, traveling with your kids is a great thing to have done. And now that I’m a grizzled solo road tripping veteran with four days of experience under my belt, I have a message for dads everywhere: Take the road trip.

Here are five reasons why:

1. A solo road trip beats watching YouTube videos

Really, what else do you have to do during the summer? Work? Watch YouTube videos? Sit inside and stare at your air conditioning unit while saying a silent prayer of thanksgiving?

Taking your kids on a road trip by yourself is better than all these things. Kind of. It’s much harder, but ultimately more rewarding. Unless you’re a brain surgeon or something; I assume that is also rewarding.

And while YouTube is a wonderful invention, if you’re anything like me, you’re sick of your kids devoting their lives to it. Now is your chance to get them out from in front of the TV or iPad and into a car where they can sit for 10 hours or so. Sure, they will probably use their devices somewhere along the way (i.e., the whole way), but screen time in cars doesn’t count as screen time. That’s Parenting 101.

In addition, if your kids are young enough, you can convince them that there is no technology available that allows them to access YouTube in a car. You will likely be able to keep this charade up for about two hours before you start indiscriminately throwing account passwords into the backseat for any child to feast upon.

2. You will gain a deep personal knowledge of interstate restrooms. All of them.

Never underestimate the value of public restroom knowledge. And since you will be stopping at every restroom you pass, you will quickly become the world’s foremost bathroom expert. The Stephen Hawking of interstate toilets. You will dazzle guests at your next dinner party with your newfound knowledge. Even better, you can provide invaluable assistance to random strangers you meet at the McDonald’s on your way home.

“Oh no, don’t stop at the rest area at mile marker 135,” you will say with an air of profound authority. “Wait for the one at 182. It’s much cleaner, has a lovely picnic area, and vending machine selection you won’t believe.”

“Yes, thank you,” the stranger will reply. “I just asked if I could borrow this chair, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

 3. It will help make you a more confident parent

Society has a way of subtly suggesting to dads that they are lesser than as parents. Most of us know this isn’t true, but like all parents, we have our doubts and insecurities. And while taking a road trip won’t cure all your fears and worries, it will likely blunt them. I mean, it’s hard to get too worked up about taking your kids to the grocery store or the mall after you’ve survived a thousand miles of interstate highway and several nights in a hotel room.

Taking them to the beach by yourself will still be a nightmare, particularly if you have more children than hands and some of them can’t swim. There is nothing you can do to make that experience better, but otherwise, a nice, long solo road trip is a bit like a parenting vaccine. It builds up your immunity to the daily irritations and challenges.

4. You will entertain other hotel guests at breakfast, bringing them immense joy

Picture yourself sitting down to a quiet meal at one of those free continental breakfast buffets at a mid-level chain hotel. Suddenly, a small tornado of noise and energy spins into the room, knocking into the cereal box display and overturning a napkin dispenser.

It’s a harried dad with three small children!

The children are understandably excited by the bounty set forth before them. It’s not every day they get to choose their own sugary breakfast foods from a plastic display case and then not eat them. Meanwhile, the dad spends the entire 20-minute fiasco racing back and forth from the buffet to the table where his children are precariously perched on bar stools, which they just had to sit on. He stops only to slosh a few sips of coffee into his mouth and down his shirt. What a sight!

Now, flip it so you are the dad instead of the child-free, relentlessly relaxed hotel patron. Sure, this scenario is a lot less fun for you, but at least you’re making other people smile. You can’t place a dollar value on that.

5. Think of the great story you’ll have to tell for years to come

Have I ever told you about the time I took my kids on a road trip by myself? This will be your opening line for any conversation for at least the next five years. It works everywhere: doctor appointments, weddings, dinner parties, open mics.

You will delight friends, acquaintances and audiences with your tale of struggle and strife. They will laugh and cry right along with you.

But your most important audience will be the people who also experienced the journey first hand. The ones who have tried doing a solo road trip themselves and were with you in the car for every painstaking mile.

“Hey kids, remember when we drove all the way to North Carolina?” you will say to them years later on a rainy summer morning. “How we played in that park where your grandmother used to play when she was a kid? And caught fireflies at night? And how on our way home we stopped at that rest area and none of you would get in your seats so I finally gave up and we ran around the picnic tables for what seemed like hours until it started to rain on us and we piled back into the car wet and smelly?”

And they will remember.

Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash

Ten years ago this summer, we moved to the suburbs. We left the city for the typical reasons. My wife and I decided we needed more space. We thought the boys should have a backyard. And we had no intention of drinking past 10.

In many ways, we’ve adapted very nicely to the suburbs. The boys play in the backyard. My wife loves planting and killing flowers. I’m happy to have a driveway.

Yes, despite my casual complaints and periodic yearnings for the city, I think moving to the suburbs has worked out for my family and me. I’d even say we’ve adapted nicely. We appreciate the hum of crickets, bunnies running around freely, and the thrill of the UPS delivery.

However, there are some ways in which my family – well, me in particular – has not adjusted to the suburbs. So on that, here are six reasons why I still don’t belong in the suburbs.

1. I don’t own a grill

Not an in-ground, electric, or even a hibachi. You ever walk around the suburbs around 5 p.m. on a weekend in the summer? I guarantee you smell someone grilling faster than can say “white picket fence.” However, you won’t be sniffing or rubbing your eyes from the smoke by my house. No barbecue here and no interest. Shoot, we don’t even have a deck to put it on.

2. I’m uncomfortable buying in bulk

Advertisements such as “48 rolls of toilet paper for $14.99” send people scurrying. Customers bring multiple shopping carts and are disappointed when they see the limit is three packages. Seriously, why the hell does anybody need that much freakin’ toilet paper? You know, just because you have the storage space doesn’t mean you have to fill it. Nah, I’ll stick to the 4 pack. Or maybe go crazy and buy the 8-pack.

3. Our house doesn’t have an addition

Nor do we plan on adding one.  Yes, thankfully, we have equity in our house. Yes, I know rates are still low, traditionally speaking. Sure, I wouldn’t mind a bigger house, but instead of competing against the neighbors to see who has the biggest house, I’m simply going to live in mine.

4. We don’t own a minivan or an SUV

We have a Honda Accord. That’s it (I know one car – roughing it). While picking up the boys at camp or attending a school event, it’s hard not to look around, notice, and then wonder, “Does size matter?” Does everyone really need a huge car to schlep around their 2.1 kids? There’s only one time a year I want a bigger car and that’s when we drive toward our rented vacation home for one week. The boys are squished and even have had to carry suitcases on their laps. I feel bad then about the size of the car. But it passes and therefore, I’ll pass on the minivan.

5. I don’t go to the mall

It’s not a rule or anything but I have no interest in going to a mall. We have a huge mall near us – hey, we live in Jersey – with many top stores. One could buy everything they need – clothes, furniture, electronics, kitchenware, linens. And then there are the three wings – under one massive roof. Nah. Not for me. In fact, if the movie theater wasn’t in the mall, I don’t think I’d ever go there. Well, one day, 30 years from now, maybe my wife and I will walk around the mall as a form of exercise. For now, the mall holds no interest for me.

6. I mow my own lawn – standing up

While I do hate mowing my medium-sized lawn, I can’t imagine how doing so while sitting down on a tractor would make it more pleasant. Now, if they put a television on the tractor, I might reconsider.  Sorry, Mr. Gardener – I could use the exercise and soon the boys will take over.

So, does this make my family and I outsiders? Hmm, maybe we could drive to a destination a couple of blocks away and turn our noses up when someone suggests we actually walk. Walk? Nah, who walks? We’re suburbanites.

A version of this first appeared on Me, Myself and My Kids.

“You have to trust the other drivers,” my father said gently.

With those words, my fingers loosened on the wheel, my shoulders relaxed, and my eyes refocused on the right side of the road.

I was 16 and about to take a driver’s ed class, but my father and I thought it might help to practice beforehand. (My mother wanted no part of it.) For many teens, it would have been time to cue the father-son tension. But my father had always been laid-back and hands-off, so I did not dread driving with him.

Even though this was his sixth time teaching driving to a nervous teenager (I am the youngest of our large brood), he was still filled with patience as he sat there in the passenger seat. Or maybe my older siblings had already run over his last nerve. His calmness is even more remarkable to me now, as I have just two children but often reach for my white flag of surrender.

To my surprise, what first troubled me as a new driver was the sight of oncoming cars in the left lane. How could I be sure they weren’t going to cross the yellow line and kill us instantly? Sensing my concern, my father uttered his simple words about trust.

It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment how much the world runs on trust — e.g., that people will act responsibly, that our hearts won’t stop beating, that buildings won’t collapse, and that the sun will rise and set, among other so-called certainties. In fact, without a basic faith in the workings of the universe, how could we even get out of bed every morning?

Trust the universe, yourself

My father’s constant ability to trust the universe was modeled in many other ways. For example, whenever my siblings or I were sick, he would place his hands on our foreheads and quietly talk about how some cultures believe we have “healing power” if we think positive thoughts as we lay hands upon an ailing body. (In the meantime, our mother gave us medicine.) As you might expect, my siblings and I would sometimes snicker at “the healing power,” but we all secretly savored the feeling of being loved in such a palpable way.

Similar to the healing power technique, my father would often extol the benefits of creative visualization to calm one’s nerves. If we were fretting about getting a large homework project finished, he would say: “Visualize in great detail the moment of handing the project in to your teacher.” The theory is that by visualizing success, you help bring it into being. (I realize now it was also my parents’ way of saying “you can do it, and we’re not going to do it for you.”)

I can’t guarantee the visualization method works, but I always seemed to get those projects done while feeling supported in the process. It has also given me a tool to use when my own children are struggling with a school deadline.

Granted, as adults we know the world often falls short of our trusting expectations. Some illnesses don’t heal, some work goes undone, and certainly some drivers prove to be untrustworthy. Indeed, my driver’s ed instructor taught “defensive driving” and emphasized the opposite of my father’s advice about trust. And that was long before road rage had a name and hyped-up media coverage. (I should add that my mother’s mantra for driving was “everybody’s crazy, drive safely.”)

Looking back, however, I believe my father’s repeated emphasis on invisible phenomena like trust, healing and visualization had a cumulative effect on my mental and emotional health as I grew up. In a sense, he helped me build a world of trust, to swim in a sea of faith. As I parent my own children, I strive for my family to swim in the same waters. Especially when it’s my turn to help my daughter with her driver’s ed practice.

L.A Dad Group Member Felix Barajas recently attended a Fodada event in Southern California, so we thought it would be a great idea to share his experience and a recent City Dads Group blog post about Fodada’s mission and “fun-raising” initiative. 

My daughter and I had a really great experience at the recent Fodada event hosted at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo. We had a wonderful time bonding as a family and getting to experience all the classic cars. We also loved the scavenger hunt, the car building activity, root beer floats, and ice cream! Thank you to Fodada for hosting such a wonderful event. – Felix Barajas, LA Dads Group Member

Fodada does more than just host awesome events – they help children in need by getting parents and kids to do extracurricular activities together that raise funds for a cause. Their unique platform allows you to change the life of a kid with a click of a button. Read more about it in this post by City Dads Group blogger Kevin McKeever.

https://citydadsgroup.com/blog/fodada-kidscholly/

These days, on the now rare occasions I’m walking the streets by myself, if I see tractors, trucks or trains, my first thought is to wish my son was with me because he would think it’s awesome.

Unsurprisingly, my little boy loves tractors, trucks and trains. We may live in New York City, where wonders lie around every corner, but nothing rates next to, say, one of those Kings County cement mixers decorated with the American flag.

Celebrities can’t break him away from the objects of his affection. We’ve had the opportunity to meet Michael Strahan on three separate occasions, and Liam screamed at him to go away each time. He did the same to Ben Affleck. We were at the filming of Good Morning America, you see, but the TV lights and glamour couldn’t compare to the trucks and buses going by, and Michael and Ben were blocking the view.

Once, Jennifer Lawrence tried to strike up a conversation with him in Murray’s Bagels. But Liam was seated at the window and couldn’t care less about the Hunger Games star. He was too busy watching the backhoe across the street.

He doesn’t just ignore celebrities either, he tunes family out as well. He regularly interrupts conversations at home and on the street about any random truck that rattles by, and if it’s a fire truck, well, all bets are off! Fire trucks are the real celebrities to Liam.

Tractors, trucks and trains are all he ever talks about; all he wants to watch on TV; all he wants to read about; and all he wants to play with. His favorite clothes have these vehicles on them, and that’s all he ever wants to wear. He was a Choo Choo Train for Halloween. A local bakery had a train display in their window over the holidays, and I had to take him to see it every day, no matter how sick I was. We need to go to Grand Central Terminal once a week while the Holiday Train Display is featured there. It does not end.

For a while, I worried about him. Was this obsession healthy? There are other things in the world, would he ever pay attention to anything else?

This was before he entered pre-school. And while he’s clearly more interested in big vehicles than other children, it really isn’t by much. And once he began interacting with other children on the playground, it was always a toy truck or tractor that broke the ice and got them playing with each other.

Once a little more thought was put into it, I had to admit that Liam comes by it honestly. I loved tractors, trucks and trains just as much as when I was a boy. Some of my very first memories are of my old Tonka truck, that big metal monstrosity.

I used to go nowhere, and I mean nowhere, without a suitcase full of Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Corgi cars. As I got older, model railroading became the big thing. I devoured magazines dedicated to the hobby and obsessively pored over the diorama I was building and laying track upon.

Somewhere along the line, I lost that love. I don’t really know why. I moved on to action figures, to sports, to girls and trying to impress my friends. University and career took over shortly thereafter. And then I was an adult. Sorta.

Don’t get me wrong, I hung on to mementos from my childhood as much as I could. Anyone who’s met me has probably seen me wearing a superhero shirt. Up until my forties, I still regularly collected comic books and superhero paraphernalia. I still kinda do, they just go to Liam now.

So while the superhero shirts and toys do make us both happy, the pure joy that tractors, trucks and trains bring to Liam not only surpasses that but also has reawakened my own love for them. Just take a good look at the next tractor you see; the next crane towering above you; regard the raw power of that train pulling into the station; and wow, those Kings County cement mixers really do look cool!

And I’m not the only one susceptible to Liam’s infectious joy when he sees the objects of his affection. If a truck is parked on our street he must go and see it, exclaiming the whole time how cool it is. People passing by can’t help but smile, and if the driver is there, that’s who Liam treats like a celebrity.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that his unbridled enthusiasm for the vehicle gets him invited to sit in it.

I mean how could you deny this? Look how happy he is. He’s smiling, I’m smiling, the truck driver is smiling, and passersby are all smiling. His love for tractors, trucks and trains doesn’t just make him feel good but makes everyone around him feel good too.

Look, the world is an unsteady place right now. America is divided sharply by uncertainty and obstinance. Discrimination is threatening to become law. The hateful and bigoted are crowing about running the country while massive protests line the streets against the current administration. “Alternative facts” are trying to whitewash brazen lies, and the low rumble of war has started from nations like China.

In times like these, filled with anger and dread, joy becomes more precious than ever. So who am I to deny my son the joy he finds in these vehicles? He loves them, and they bring him joy. Not only that, but his joy infects everyone else, so who am I to deny those people joy as well?

A parent’s duty is to raise a happy child. He loves them, I love him, and so I will love tractors, trucks and trains once again.

All photos contributed by Chad R. MacDonald