life is better when you're facing forward

not safer. but better. well i guess it's safer, technically, for let's say, walking, running, etc. walking or running backwards can't be safer than walking or running forwards. but if you're sitting in a car, backwards is safer (even for me, at age 32 [but not while driving]). but not better. according to a super scholarly scientific experiment (ie, my kids). (yes, i've donated my children to scientific experimental research. mom of the year. right here.) riding in a car facing forward is better. it's more enjoyable. more to see. room to kick (my seat, thank you very much). i was waiting. i could have turned my little chunkers around six months ago because they met the "legal requirements" to face forward. but then i did too much research, as i often do (curses to the internet!) and found out it was safer for them to stay backwards. so we all toughed it out together. and it was brutal. so here's the update. we've been facing forward for approximately five days now and it. is. glorious. seriously. peaceful. i almost don't know what to do with myself. it's quiet. in my car. i haven't heard this much quiet in my car since the day i told my spouse "there are two babies in there" (womb). i realized how truly blissfulmonious (made up) it was when i was arriving early at our location a few days ago so i drove around a little while to buy us some time. excuse me? never would i stall for more time in the car when the babes were rear facing. no way. get us there as fast as i can and get us out. stat. one problem: i accidentally forgot to remove the pacifiers from the car, which has always been my plan for the day we faced forward. turn around. pacifiers gone. fair trade. blast! blast! i forgot to remove them! now we're all screwed. the pacifiers are never leaving. they'll have to take the pacifiers out of their own mouths to pose for their first driver's licence photo. and even then it won't be easy. oh well. cost-benefit analysis: it's now exceptionally quiet in my car. carseats facing forward and pacifiers. how much more peace could i get? i can talk on the phone. i can listen to music that doesn't drive me nuts. i can listen to absolutely nothing. nothingness. i could do yoga if i wanted to. it's that peaceful (but wouldn't be safe and this all started with safety, didn't it). you know what is actually safer than safe (remember those "grosser than gross" stupid jokes that pre-adolescent boys would tell you in the 5th grade? i hated those. right up there with the "garbage pail kids")? a calm and composed and focused mommy driver because her kiddos are peacefully sitting in the backseat, forward facing, happy as little larks. that's way safer than crazy roadrage mommy driver who is one-handed 7 on the steering wheel (no 10 and 2 here) turned around flinging toys and replacing pacifiers for various children while she listens to some horrifyingly horrible nail-scraping kiddie music.

sorry. i just felt like i needed a picture here.