single mom w/10 year old

[mustangrose]

I am trying to decide the options of driving OTR and taking my son with me. If anyone can let me know if they know of a good company and their views. I have checked into homeschooling and at this point just looking for feed back

[Twilight Flyer]

Here's a good recent thread for feedback about kids in trucks:

http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=25732

Best advice you could take would be to "stay home." :?

[Sabine]

I am a single driver, and carry my dog with me. While he most certainly is not a child, I can tell you there are plenty of days where I have sacrificed eating and sleep time to keep him entertained.

I am exhausted at times. My dog of course, will also lie down and go to sleep, a little more difficult to do with a 10 year old.

I don't believe what you are trying to do is feasible. I can understand wanting to make a better living for the two of you, but trust me, you don't have the time, or energy to homeschool and drive a truck.

[eastern ontario]

Do yourself a favour, stay home for another 8yrs. He will be happier too.

[Shawnee]

I posted about this before but I will say it again, the best thing for a child is to have a normal, stable home life, kids need to have space to run around and play and have other children to play with and have a roof over their head everynight. The cab of a truck is no place for a child. I don't agree with this idea at all and I wouldn't do that to any child.

I don't know how much you know about this job and I don't think you realize what this job involves, it is a lot of work, you will be driving long hours, up to 11 hrs a day, what will your child be doing while you are driving. I can tell you that you will not have time to do home schooling. And we all know what truckstops are like and the kind of people who hang out in truck stops, where you would be eating and showering and most likely sleeping.

As a child I rode in the truck with my dad for occasional trips before I could even walk, and it really is not all that fun for a child, it gets very boring for a child after a while, those who have taken children for a long car ride know that. I would go with my dad for about a week and I would get restless from sitting all those long hours, there were only so many books I could read. Usually by the end of the trip I was just happy to get home.

If you want to drive for a living, take a local job and be home everyday for your child. Women who choose to have children should do what is best for their children and be home for them and be a mother. I believe that if a woman wants to drive OTR for a living they should either not have kids or wait until their kids are grown to do it.

[4roses]

I respect the fact that your wanting to make a good living for you and your child. .... Set aside the 'unnatural way' of living for a child on a truck all the time ..... Take in consideration the safety of the child .... after rolling down the hwys this PAST week alone ..... from Maine to Ohio - back to N.Jersy and now down to Mo. on my way to Tx ...... I have seen a tractor & trailer off in the woods that lost control on the ice ... another trailer on the side of the road that had rolled over and burned up .... another tractor and trailer that had jackknifed and the tractor is now trash .... this is and can be a very dangerous job .... We drive as safe as possible, but weather and the lack of safe driving on the part of the 4wheelers put Us in 'harms way' on a daily bases ...... Ask yourself, is it worth the safety of Your childs life to take him/her on the road daily? .... I think not ! ..... it's a crazy world out here on the road and getting worse each year ............. We have a new class of drivers coming on the road that think all we do is seat behind the wheel and aim that truck down the road .... it's hard work, stressful at times and dangerous. .....

Again .... I appreciate the fact that your wanting to make a good living for your child and you .... but it's not the world for a 'child' .... Try to find local work driving in the area you live and wait for several years to come to the road....

Good luck with what ever you decide to do.

[wildkat]

I am trying to decide the options of driving OTR and taking my son with me. If anyone can let me know if they know of a good company and their views. I have checked into homeschooling and at this point just looking for feed back

mustang, I have been a driver for over 27 years now & was a single parent for 15 of them. Take it from me...a truck is NO place for a kid!

Kids need the stability of a REAL home...not in the jump seat of a truck! I stayed local till mine were teens then went regional after my oldest was 16, when I could be away ONE night then home the next. BUT, even then you must have an INCREDIBLY responsible child for that! My oldest is 26 now, and she recalls the long hours that I worked & the lack of quality time I was able to spend with her.

Trucking is no life for a child..trust me I know.

[mustangrose]

I do know the life of a trucker my father and husband both were one. I also know several people that drive now they tell me they have met several families living OTR with kids I was hoping one of those families would respond. This isn't a idea that just popped in my head and I am going for it. This is part of the research process and of the negetive things I hear have been already addressed. The danger on the road is there weather you drive OTR or just to town I am on the road 10 a day now and see my son little his schooling isnt really taught by teachers anymore it all done on the computer. The ones that I know that drives that know me personally says the situation would be better than we are in now. Yes I can change the situation and I am weather it be OTR or not if all you say is it cant be done then YOU wouldnt be able to do it but that doesnt mean someone else doesnt or cant. yes I have rode on a truck I have been in this life. As I was hoping someone that is doing it already respond even if by pm. Its funny because the posts are negitive but the private messages i get are encouraging and as they say its a matter of finding the right company. My mind isn't totally made up but it is getting there.

[Twilight Flyer]

if all you say is it cant be done then YOU wouldnt be able to do it but that doesnt mean someone else doesnt or cant.

No one is saying it can't be done. Everyone is saying it SHOULDN'T be done.

Big difference.

Did you read that other thread? Do yourself and your child a HUGE favor and read through it. You're saying you have done your homework...I'd challenge you to call D.H.S. / Child Services if you want to do your homework. Tell them you want to know what their stance is on you raising your child in a truck and see what they say.

Not trying to be mean, just trying to make certain you are looking at the bigger picture. If you don't think that D.H.S. can put your child in a foster home if you do that, then you aren't looking at the bigger picture. If you don't think that people will not call you in for child neglect, you're again missing the bigger picture. They will...more times than you would want to know.

And when that happens, here's what you are looking at in the way of possible reasons from them for taking your child.

- Unfit parent...(you may not be, but try convincing them of that.)

- Unsafe home environment...(absolutely correct on that one)

- Child neglect... (sadly, they would be right on that one, too. Just you and your child...you working 14 hours a day...where on earth will you find the time to spend with your child, let alone homeschool them?)

The road is a great place to take your child on trips here and there. They get to see the country, see amazing things, experience the travel, etc. etc. But that's just a trip and they're heading home after it's over. Back to their friends, the stability of a roof overhead, a school, etc.

The road is a lousy place to spend their childhood. No friends, no social interaction, no exercise...trapped in a seat for 10 hours a day, eating truck stop meals or out of a cooler, dodging pee puddles in truck stop parking lots all over the country.

You've come back with a defensive attitude when several posters have pointed out your error in judgement, should you decide to do this. If you're just looking for people to back you up, you might get a few PM's that do so. But the majority of people will come right out and tell you WHY it's such a terrible idea.

It's not that you're a bad person, it's that you are not thinking this through. And if you do it, you better get used to people thinking you are a bad person, because that is exactly what will happen. Right, wrong, or indifferent, you'll experience outright hostility out there when other drivers realize that your child is living in the truck with you.

[Random_Facts]

Indeed I agree with everyone else, picture being in a jail cell for 15 hours a day. No friends, no social life, not being able to see kids his age. Whew talk about stressful. He only is a child once, let it be happy and free. =). I mean most people that are below the age of 12 and in a car for that matter. use the famous line. Are we there yet? and kids can get really antsy <- if that's even spelt right. can't check without the spell checker thing lol anyways. Thats my 2 cents =D

[eastern ontario]

I do know the life of a trucker my father and husband both were one. I also know several people that drive now they tell me they have met several families living OTR with kids I was hoping one of those families would respond. This isn't a idea that just popped in my head and I am going for it. This is part of the research process and of the negetive things I hear have been already addressed. The danger on the road is there weather you drive OTR or just to town I am on the road 10 a day now and see my son little his schooling isnt really taught by teachers anymore it all done on the computer. The ones that I know that drives that know me personally says the situation would be better than we are in now. Yes I can change the situation and I am weather it be OTR or not if all you say is it cant be done then YOU wouldnt be able to do it but that doesnt mean someone else doesnt or cant. yes I have rode on a truck I have been in this life. As I was hoping someone that is doing it already respond even if by pm. Its funny because the posts are negitive but the private messages i get are encouraging and as they say its a matter of finding the right company. My mind isn't totally made up but it is getting there.

However, brief I was in my first address on this subject, I've come back to share somethings that may help you. Negative or positive feedback is not going to keep any child protection agency or act out of your face if you should decide to follow through with this. I understand that different states have different policies, but neglect is spelled the same in every dictionary & means the same thing. And each state views levels & laws differently in USA.

Your child at this point will think that OTR is going to the great, he/she hasnt lived it yet. Try to view this from a childs perspective......6mths from now, he/she will want to have friends of their own age, television shows, books, dances, music. He/she will want to share stories their friends and school and sports, but the relationships wont be there if a child is not given the opportunity to develop them. Besides all of this, think of the damage this will have on him/her into their adult life. They wont know the "normal" stable life to raise their own child in.

In my home province here in Canada, if a adult puts a child at risk & anyone knowingly turns a blind eye to it; does not report it......that person(s) can also be charged as well under the child proctection laws.

I might suggest that you approach a local firm who will pay better and allow you to be home daily for your child.

BOL to you

[coastie]

Many will say and saying it abusive. I say it educational. We have to many people wants to tell us how to raise our kids. Miss the good days when Kids were behaived, and nobody messed with you if you punished them when they were naughty.

[Cynduck]

I've homeschooled for 7 years now. If you need some advice on that I would be happy to help. It could be very educational when done right but you won't have time to stop and take in the sites etc because you will have deadlines to meet. Another thing to consider is if your son can do homework in the truck. My kids get very car sick if they try and read or write in the car.

Depending on the way learning suites him best, you could get him a laptop and some of the computer based curriculum. It will grade everything for you as well. You will want to be careful to pick the right curriculum if you decide to do this.

One of the biggest advantages of homeschooling is that it goes with you. You can do field trips and help the child learn in a more hands on way. We do field trips and other activities with our local support group. You would be missing out on that opportunity.

It's going to be hard. You are going to have to be creative for activities for him. You are going to have to figure out a way for him to get exercise. He will need time to play with friends. All things to consider.

I think one difficult thing is going to be finding a company that will allow you to do it.

Just remember to be open. If you try it and it doesn't work, you both need to be willing to say that it isn't working.

It has to be very hard being away from each other. I don't think it is abusive. Many will tell you homeschooling is wrong but my kids are thriving (socially and intellectually)

[Sheepdancer]

I just invision things like this happening and it makes me kind of sad.

Kid: Mommy, look those kids are playing a game over there. What is it?
Mom: Thats a little league baseball game.
Kid: wow, can I play?
Mom: No....watch another movie.

[coastie]

I just invision things like this happening and it makes me kind of sad.

Kid: Mommy, look those kids are playing a game over there. What is it?
Mom: Thats a little league baseball game.
Kid: wow, can I play?
Mom: No....watch another movie.

If the world was so negative thinking all the time nothing would get done.

I see the kid say WOW I never been here before.
WOW WHat a Cool Place
Or WOW We just studied about that in the history leson...

Also a study was done some years ago in NYC that most kids do not know the states of the USA. To back that up My 1st wife and I was living in NYC while I was stationed there. We had this lady asked us where were were from. We told her Georgia. Her responce was Where Georgia. We told her north of Floria. She said then Oh other side of Jersy..........

[Cynduck]

Amen Coastie!

When my husband first started driving I put up a huge map in the family room of the US. We tracked his routes and would mark where he stopped etc. My kids all had US maps and colored in the state every time daddy went there for the first time. We could have sat here whining and missing him (which we missed him tons) but turned around and used it for something positive instead. Life is all in how you look at it.

It would be tough to take a 10year old out on the road but what a wonderful experience it could be. I think back to spending my summers in the car with my mom (she delivered molds in a pick up truck for my dad's machine shop) Sometimes it was really boring but I could get anywhere when I started driving and was never afraid of getting lost. I have always appreciated that experience especially when my friends would have no idea how to even get to the local mall.

[Sheepdancer]

That is what vacations are for.
It wasnt being negative. I just think the thought of a kid being cooped up in a truck is sad. Kids need to run around, interact with someone besides lot lizards, hang out with people their own age, play sports, ride a bike....ect. Hell, even when I take my kids on a long vacation, I take the time to stop every few hours so they can play. Seeing some historical place through a windsheild is not much better than looking at a picture of it online or in a book.
Just for you I will change my comment.
Kid: Mom, look at that....CANNONS! What is that place?
Mom: That is where they fought part of the Civil war. Remember, you read about it.
Kid: Cool....Can we stop?
Mom: No....watch another movie.

[coastie]

Sheepdancer still negativity will get no where, All you and may others are so negative. Why not get to stop? She'll need a break time to time any way. True not every 5 minutes but I always stopped for a few minutes evry 2 or 3 hours.

Why is it everyone wants to tell otehrs how to raise their kids? If she wants to take them fine have a ball. If you want to be away from your, fine it's your life. I always enjoyed being with my Dad at work or where ever. He was not driving anymore but he did work for a Trucking company and I would go with himn sit in his office and watched him load the trucks. I had a blast.

Kids to day are more into video games anyway. by him going out on the road, he'll learn more than joe Blows kid in School..

To add more to this, I do know a guy who will take his kids out on trips. His kids are home schooled and he has 3. Each week he may take one out with him and they have a blast also. The learn and get to spend with their father. He not like most OTR Drivers, leaves out Sunday Night, and back by Tuesday. Off again Wed night and back Friday or Saterday morning. But the point is the kids love it, and they are getting an education.

[Sheepdancer]

Of course she will get to stop and take breaks. Many truck stops will be visited, many rest areas. Personally, those are two places I dont like to even take my kids near when I am in a car.
Not all kids are into video games that much. Sure limited time on video games is fine, however a parent needs to still get the kid to be active or the kid will get chubby.
Think about all the news articles today about kids being overweight. Now, think about why? The reason is that many kids arent active enough. Too many video games not enough running around acting crazy after school or riding a bike. At least kids in school have PE. Homeschooled kids still have playing outside after school. A kid living in a truck has what for exercize? You see truck drivers on this board complaining about gaining weight because sitting in a truck all day isnt being active enough. What do you suppose that will do to a kid?
Let me say, that I dont think their is anything wrong with a kid going a couple of weeks during the summer with his truck driver parent. In fact, I think its a great thing. But 2 to 3 weeks out, 2 days home all year????
BORDERLINE CHILD ABUSE. Basically, it comes down to this. Your kid, you made him, do with him what you want. However you did come out here and ask for advice. So we are giving it.

A few other things to think about:
1. Out of hours in West Memphis and have to stay in one of those wonderful truck stops.
2. Delivery in South Central LA at night.
3. Making a delivery at some warehouse, something is wrong with the bills and you have to go inside for a while....ooops they dont allow 10 year olds in the warehouse.
4. " Mommy, why does that guy keep talking about no panties on the CB"

[Twilight Flyer]

Cyduck, there is a big difference between home-schooling at HOME and attempting to home-school while driving a truck. When a person home-schools, they do so in the home...that person does not have to worry dealing with their job. Their job is teaching their children and they can devote their home-schooling time to their child. That's the whole reason the system was set up.

When you talk about homeschooling in a truck, we are not even talking about a team here, where one person drives and the other teaches. We are talking about a single mom that will be spending the bulk of her days, DRIVING and doing her job. Where on earth is she going to find the time to actually home-school and do an effective job of it?!?

I know people that home-school and I applaud them for it. But it's a lot of work. You don't just turn your child loose on a computer and let them learn. Homeschooling requires a lot of interaction between the parent/teacher. That's why/how homeschooling can be so successful. But it absolutely will not happen in a truck when mom/teacher is spending her day doing her job.

And no one has even broached the subject of safety. I won't even get into the potential distractions associated with attempting to do this.

Kids to day are more into video games anyway. by him going out on the road, he'll learn more than joe Blows kid in School..

What do you think he's going to be doing for the majority of the time while mom is driving?!?

Once again, the original poster needs to contact D.H.S. and see what they think about home-schooling on the road. Right or wrong, they can and they HAVE taken children away from parents for doing just that. Would you risk that with your children? If not, then why are you advising someone else to do it with their own child?