Parenting and Car Life

In this blog, I often write about our kids. Things like “how it was when we went touring together,” “seeing them fast asleep in the back seat,” or “my eldest daughter sniffing my husband and saying it smells like an air-cooled engine,” and so on.

That said, I don’t intend to make parenting the main focus, but since this is a “car blog written by a mother of two young children,” I do get quite a few comments and messages about “balancing parenting and car life.”

Recently, regarding my article “Participated in the Porsche Sports Car Together Day 2019,” I received a message on the blog:

I always look forward to your blog!
I read your article about this year’s Porsche Sports Car Together Day. I was planning to attend on Saturday too, but due to heavy rain and having a child who needs a stroller, I had to give up.
The official info didn’t mention nursing rooms (though there is one at FSW) or tips for families attending, so I decided not to go. But after reading your blog, I definitely want to participate next year. Your perspective as a family is so valuable.
Thanks to your blog, I bought a Carrera this year and felt inspired to join events, opening a new world for me.
There’s no other blog like this! I look forward to your future posts.

Wow… (TдT)… I’m truly, truly grateful.

Watching the blog’s traffic trends, it’s definitely grown a lot compared to before, but I still wonder, “Is this enough? Is this approach okay?” and keep trying new things daily. So receiving messages like this really makes me happy and encourages me.

At the same time, I thought, “There must be many people out there who want to enjoy car life but find it difficult because their kids are small.”

Honestly, we’re still figuring out how to enjoy car life while raising kids every day.

Just the Two of Us? Or With Kids?

In the past, when my husband and I went on trips to events at Fuji Speedway or other circuits, we often left the kids with our parents and went as a couple.

Of course, our youngest was still very small, but mostly it was because “we rarely get time alone as a couple, so we want to enjoy those moments just the two of us.” Having kids is lively and fun, but also comes with many hassles, and honestly, it’s hard to fully enjoy events with all that going on. lol

Then last June, we again left the kids with our parents and attended the Porsche 70th Anniversary event at Fuji Speedway as a couple. We planned to drive back via the Hakone Turnpike the next day, but…

On Monday morning, while packing to check out, an emergency earthquake alert came on TV. It was the Osaka Northern Earthquake, which registered a maximum intensity of lower 6.

I hurriedly called my mother, who said that although her treasured coffee cups and dishes had fallen and broken, the kids and parents were safe.

She said, “Hearing their voices will reassure you,” so she put my eldest on the phone. When I asked, “Were you scared? Are you okay?” my daughter was so shocked she couldn’t speak and just cried on the phone.

That made me rush to pack and drive straight from Fuji to my parents’ house. Seeing the kids safe when I got home was such a relief.

From that experience, I decided, “From now on, we’ll bring the kids to events.” It was lucky this time, but if something happened while prioritizing just the two of us, I’d definitely regret it later.

That’s not to say I’m against “going to events just as a couple while the kids are small.” I think that’s wonderful, and honestly, we’d like to do that too (laughs).

But with last year’s earthquake and the kids growing a bit and becoming more understanding? (Though our 2-year-old daughter is starting a mild rebellious phase, lol) we’ve decided to go as a family of four.

The Reality of Car Life with Kids

Since then, we’ve taken our 5- and 2-year-olds to driving events at Fuji Speedway, long touring trips, Okayama International Circuit, and this recent Fuji event.

But… bringing kids along is so exhausting it sometimes drives me crazy. lol

Everything takes three times as long. On the highway, the kids complain, “Mom, I need the bathroom. My back hurts. I’m hungry,” so we have to stop at service areas more often and for longer than when it’s just the two of us.

If we try to stop while the kids are asleep, they often wake up cranky and it can take five minutes just to get them out of the car because of complaints like “I’m sleepy” or “I’m not wearing socks.”

My husband and I prefer quick meals without spending much time or money, but with kids, that’s impossible.

Our 2-year-old always wants to sit on my lap, which makes my eldest jealous and grumpy… Both usually order kids’ meals but then say “I want mom’s food! I want dad’s food!” and sneakily grab from our plates. lol

I twist my body and sometimes eat awkwardly with my left hand, so I never really know if I’ve eaten properly before the meal ends. Meanwhile, the kids keep saying things like “I spilled water,” “Can I have more water?,” or “I want ketchup on my fries.”

It’s so annoying I sometimes want to shout, “Shut up!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ!!” but since we’re in public, I try to stay calm. (Though maybe I say it unconsciously, lol)

In the morning, getting out of the hotel to head to Fuji Speedway takes forever because of complaints like “I don’t want to wear this, I want yesterday’s clothes,” or “I want to wear rain boots” even though it’s sunny, or “I need to poop!”

Once we arrive, the youngest wants to be carried, then insists on pushing the stroller herself and cries, so I’m running around yelling, “Don’t run! All these cars here are super expensive, so don’t scratch them!”

My husband always chuckles wryly in Banshu dialect:

It’s a total mess… (-_-)

So by the time we reach the Porsche Lounge, both of us are already exhausted.

Once there, the kids immediately want to take off their shoes and run around, drop snacks all over the floor, and during the post-race awards ceremony, they loudly shout, “I can’t see!” forcing us to keep scolding them.

When we go outside to watch the race, they start out watching intently but soon get bored and say, “I want to go play on the grass over there,” or complain, “Do we have to do another parade lap?” (We did two parade laps that day: Panamera in the morning and 964 in the afternoon)

You don’t get to experience this kind of thing often, you know? Your mom and dad didn’t get to do this when they were little, so you’re really lucky.

While we’re excited about the parade laps, when I look back at the rear seats, both kids are fast asleep… (laughs)

In short, it’s a whirlwind from start to finish.

…Okay, this turned into a bit of a rant, but I feel better getting it off my chest. Thanks for listening m(_ _)m

Warm Porsche Fans Who Care About Kids

One thing that really stood out at this Fuji Speedway event was how warm and kind everyone was toward our kids.

When you have kids, you can’t help but worry, “Are we being too noisy? Is the stroller in the way?”

But at the Porsche Track Experience (PTE), the instructors smiled and told the kids, “You’re great at talking!” and staff gave high-fives and paid attention to them.

Also, when I was carrying the kids’ hands and one hand was holding the stroller down some stairs, a stranger said, “I’ll carry her down for you!” and took our youngest in his arms.

Since our youngest was wearing a Porsche T-shirt (bought at the Porsche Center’s goods corner), another person smiled and said, “She’s so cute! I want to gift one to my grandchild. Can I take a photo?”

Everyone was so warm, and I reaffirmed, “Porsche fans really are all wonderful people!!” (laughs)

So despite the challenges, the kindness of those around us saved us many times, and I ended up thinking, “Bringing the kids along isn’t so bad after all.”

The kids seemed to enjoy it too. Our eldest got excited every time a Carrera Cup driver she knew passed by, shouting “What position are they in?” and they played freely in the kids’ corner and went to give high-fives to friendly staff.

I’m sure they found this world fun in their own way. When I asked, “How was it today?” both answered with big smiles, “It was fun!”

Though, they’ll probably forget all this by the time they’re grown up… (-_-)

But beyond logic, I hope they at least feel that there’s a world they don’t know yet, and the passion and dedication of adults clashing and coming together.

Parenting and Car Life

About two years ago, just after our youngest was born and our eldest started a new kindergarten, we decided, “This year, parenting comes first.” I cut back on work a lot, spent more time at home, and made sure to pick up the kids from kindergarten by 2 p.m. every day.

That brought new perspectives and helped me bond with other moms and spend more time with the kids, which was great. But at the same time,

I realized I’m not someone who can be “all in” on parenting.

During that parenting-first period, I got frustrated that everything about me came last, and I took out that frustration on the kids and my husband. I think I was always in a bad mood.

Before being a mother, I’m a person, so I want to cherish “what I want to do.” Conversely, by valuing what I want to do, I feel I can approach the kids with more patience, saying “Thanks for letting mom do what she wants every day.” (Though I still get irritated often, lol)

So lately, even when the kids come running saying, “Mom, play with me!” I’ll say things like:

“Mom wants to write the blog now, so no!” or “Mom needs some time alone to think, please leave me be!”

I’m probably far from the ideal mother image society expects, and I don’t always do motherly things well, but as long as they know “Mom loves you both no matter what,” maybe that’s enough.

So from now on, I want to keep looking for a way to enjoy both parenting and car life—not giving up on car life just because I’m raising kids—even if it’s messy and full of trial and error.

Well, a big part of making that possible is thanks to my husband, so in the end, I’m really grateful to him. lol