It’s not merely where you are going, but how you get there, that matters. And as we often find ourselves going places in cars, it is worth stopping to consider how we spend our car rides. 

In this week’s episode, we welcome back to the podcast Mr. Kyle Blackmer for a discussion of the daily commute. Whether we carpool or ride solo, Mr. Blackmer helps us to reframe how we approach this daily endeavor which can easily become, at best, dead time and, at worst, dreaded time. 

Kyle shows us how the car, with the right attitude and a little creativity, can become its own classroom. He encourages us to think about how we can best use this time by praying, engaging in good conversation—at times mere fun, at other times more formative–, listening to good music and books, and celebrating. 

Chapters 

• 00:45 Introduction: reframing the daily commute 
• 3:20 How can we make carpooling more fruitful for our sons? 
• 5:43 The car as a classroom: the first and last period of the day
• 6:22 Four modes of teaching in the Car
• 6:45 Prayer, especially the Rosary, especially in the morning 
• 9:28 Car as a place for friendship, shared life 
• 10:55 Conversation in cars
• 16:20 The art of asking good questions and listening 
• 17:15 Tuning into the boys in front of you
• 19:16 Setting guidelines for your carpool
• 21:10 Being intentional about what you listen to 
• 25:35 Audiobooks and classic rock
• 27:50 Celebrating the in little ways
• 31:20 Finding moments for little points of correction 
• 33:30 Advice for solo commuters 
• 35:50 The last three minutes: preparing for your return home 

Recommended Audiobooks for the Road

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Seabiscuit by Charles Rivers Editors

Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Treasury for Children by James Herriot

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingallas Wilder

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The Complete Father Brown Collection by G.K. Chesterton

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller

Also on the Forum

On Home as Social Hub: The Importance of Hosting Our Sons and Their Friends with Tom Royals

Friendship for Fathers: John Cuddeback on Living and Teaching the Art with John Cuddeback 

Sarah Mackenzi on the Read-Aloud Family with Sarah Mackenzi