With the kids in the backseat buckled up tight, you're headed for grandma's house, an all-day drive. The great American family vacation road trip--a time for bonding and sharing each other's interests. A time for pulling your hair out one by one.

As long as Americans pile the kids in the car for a family vacation, they are doomed for the anxieties that come with the mind-numbing boredom of a very long road trip. After a short while into the trip, the fidgeting starts. The inevitable discussion about who hit whom first is under debate. Good feeling's gone.

As it happens, once the kids have seen a couple grazing cows and a horse pasture, they pretty much don't want to see it again. Rolling hills and scenic mountains served their purpose a great many miles back, but now, who really cares? And who really gives a hoot what they're growing in those widespread fields anyway!

So here you are, only a couple hours into the trip, with the whole day ahead of you, and the whining starts. "Are we there yet?"

Never fear! Remember those awesome car trip games we used to play as kids? The age-old "I Spy" game where the other player tries to guess your object. Then, of course, the license plate game options: See if you can spell all 50 states, make a phrase out of the plate letters or see who can add up the numbers correctly.

Car trip games are really terrific entertainment for the kids, but when 20 Questions suddenly turns into 20 reasons why you're bothering me, then it's time to move on before the scuffling accelerates.

Unlike past generations, today there is a simple solution. Put in a DVD movie. Just slide that little disc boldly into the slot, and suddenly the family road trip takes on new scenery--Shrek, Nemo, Woody and Buzz. The whining stops. Restless little bodies settle down, and the car mercifully becomes surrounded by contentment. Suddenly, the trip becomes much easier.

Okay, so now you're thinking enjoyment of the journey is lost. The family vacation is a bust. Relax, already! True, the countryside is becoming just a faint flicker in the background, but consider the fact that if you make the most of getting to your destination, you will bring home good memories of the entire trip. In reality, TV provides a welcome sanity for today's long road trips. So, let modern technology take over. Enjoy it!

If you're still having a hard time accepting defeat to the state-of-the art, consider days gone by when fidgety children were free to move around. Perhaps you can recall sitting in the back of the station wagon or hatchback playing board games or working on little paper projects. Can't do that today. For safety, the little ones are strapped into their special seats and the older ones are buckled up tight. Not much freedom there. The great American road trip has forever changed.

So next time you hit the road, throw in those DVD movies. Your sanity may depend on it.

A word of warning I must add. As parents come to rely on DVDs as their survival against hours of back-seat whining and clashing, DVD players won't solve all problems. There may be fewer "are we there yets," but eventually new squabbles of "it's my turn to pick" or "I don't want to watch that" will erupt. Isn't modern technology great?