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Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going (2012)

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Re: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going (2012)

#71

I don't believe this, I think some people are imbued with a sense of direction and others aren't. Some are only capable of following turn by turn instructions, they don't comprehend where they are in relation to anything. My two older kids have the worst sense of direction I've ever encountered but my 3 year old has built in GPS. We were all in the car going somewhere one day and sitting at an intersection my 3 year…

Cardinal directions inside of a building are mostly worthless.

How do you reference locations in buildings then? "Over next to Accounting" only works if the person already has knowledge of the office layout and only for one floor.

Facilities generally refers to areas of buildings by floor and cardinal direction.

Re: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going (2012)

#72
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've noticed the elevator disorientation too. I'm one with a built-in compass and the times that my expectations are diverted are rare and quickly corrected. Because of my natural outlook, it's odd to me to see people often step out of an elevator and have to recalibrate their orientation.

Elevators can be confusing if there are two or more on both sides of the hall. It's disorienting because it's easy to forget which side of the hall you're on, especially if the corridor looks the same in both directions. Happens to me all the time at a friends condo.

I guess that's the point I was making about sense of direction. I have never had the experience but two of my kids get confused very easily, the third is like me and seems to always know location and direction.

Re: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going (2012)

#73
It’s a fair point, I was felt like I was being teleported around as a kid. It wasn’t until I was driving myself until I started to realize how the different places of my childhood were connected in relation to each other. I would be driving down a street and go “oh, that’s where the Spring Training stadium is”

Re: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going (2012)

#74

To rephrase the title, “people who don’t do things themselves don’t learn to do things.” Growing up in the Chicago suburbs I never knew where I was going until about age 15 my Dad got me a giant laminated map of the city and surrounding areas about 4’ x 5’. I hung it on my wall and it was my job to give directions. Until being forced to learn I never cared. The article is unsurprising. It’s like learning a new progra…

This is why more parents should let or make their kids do stuff, like ordering their food at a restaurant. I didn’t order a pizza myself until I was like 15 and my friends still don’t let me live down how stupid I sounded fumbling through that phone call.

Re: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going (2012)

#75

I grew up in a suburban community. Nothing was in walking distance and everywhere I went, I was driven. When my mom asked me where the roads were in our city, I listed all the ones I could remember, but I listed none in order and missed a lot. My mom was perplexed, she said “how could you not know where the roads are? I drive you everywhere.” I think we don’t realize that the amount of control we have over a situatio…

The first time I drove my own car to the mall and parked it deep in the huge parking lot, I went in, did some shopping, then realized that I had completely spaced on remembering where I parked, because every other time in my life, whoever was driving took care of that for me, and I just followed them back to their car. I'm sure there were times I remembered where my driver had parked, but until the first time I drove…

I normally take a photo or press the remote key fob to see where the heck I parked my car (the turn signals flash)>

Currently there is a big learner driver sign on my back window for my kid so it helps a now.

Re: Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going (2012)

#76
"Windshield perspective" is telling. Even with a windshield, it's a lot easier to see where you're going if you are adult-height and sit in the front seat.

Moreover, drives can be extremely boring: getting stuck behind large vehicles that obscure any view, sitting through traffic jams and delays, waiting at stop lights, etc.. It's not surprising that passengers may not pay much attention to them.

And it's not just being driven - the heavy traffic seemed to degrade the neighborhood in predictable ways.

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