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Navigation System Gets Updated Perspective
Sep 06 2007 by Sara Lacey
9/6/2007
High-Tech Tool Turns Out to Be a Big Help
I recently overturned my previous position on navigation systems, dear readers. I must confess to a bit of myopic bias in my initial assessment of how much the average person may use them; I didn't think they'd be very helpful on a day-to-day basis. I guess I just got wrapped up in my usual routine, and being a mom of small kids I never strayed too far from my usual haunts. Enter my friend Tracy, who told me her car was in the shop to get the nav system updated (along with an oil change, etc.). I made some sort of joke about how necessary an update is on something one would never use, and she immediately corrected me. "I use that thing all the time," Tracy told me. "I love it!"
Huh? All the time? "Really? When exactly does the need arise?" I questioned, sensing I was about to get a fresh perspective. "When I have to take the kids to any event outside of our town, it's a godsend." Oh! For day camps, tournaments and other things kids do when they get older. And not just then, she said: "Some days the kids don't want to try a new place to eat after I pick them up from one of their events. If I'm not in my neck of the woods, I just type in "Jamba Juice" or "Red Robin" and I can find the closest one. That way no one fusses or stresses out." I'm enlightened. Tracy's kids also go to a private school, so lots of the kids they're friends with are spread out over a larger, less-familiar area. With the navigation system, Tracy can always find their friends' houses with nothing more than an address. How ideal — not having to call the parent 17 times to find their house.
I know some people use their cell phones for this kind of thing, but my mobile phone has spotty coverage at best, so these other ways to get where I'm going sound perfect. And tell me, have you ever really wanted to have an ongoing chat with directory assistance about which Starbucks is closest? I rest my case. Thanks Tracy, for helping me see the light. It's amazing the wealth of knowledge parents of older kids hold in the palm of their hand, or in their navigation system.
User Comments
Check out some other ways to put your nav system to use - right here at Mother Proof…
http://www.motherproof.com/2007/06/hidden-secret-1.html
enjoy!
What a great idea, using it as an entertainment resource! See, I was just so naive.
It’s great too in helping find parks and things to do when your creativity and net access fail you. I tell my nav to find the nearest parks where ever I might be at that time and I always find something to keep the toddler entertained with. Plus, I’m not terribly familiar with the area we live in as we’ve only been here a few years. Nav is a life saver.