Anythingmobile

Why take a trip around town in your plain old car when, instead, you and your kids can ride an -- Anythingmobile! Simply defined, an Anythingmobile is whatever your kids want it to be. And the best part about it is that the fuel is free, because the Anythingmobile runs solely on your children's imagination.

Begin by asking your kids to describe their Anythingmobile. They might be inspired by their present-moment needs, including a temperature change. For example, if the mercury is in the three-digit range, your kids' Anythingmobile might be an air-conditioned beach house with a wall-to-wall refrigerator in every room and Olympic-sized swimming pools standing right beside them.

Or the Anythingmobile might be a restaurant, theater, or another roving center for pleasure and entertainment. Ask your kids to "staff" their Anythingmobile with fellow passengers, and explain each passenger's job responsibilities. Perhaps your son could be the ticket-taker at the Anythingmobile Miniature Golf Course, your daughter could be in charge of keeping score, and you could have the most important job of all -- selling hot dogs and drinks.

Your Anythingmobile might also have magical properties that help you navigate your way through traffic. Maybe the Anythingmobile has wings and a propeller, and can fly high above the roads. Or perhaps it's a water vehicle as well as a car, which enables it to take shortcuts, whenever necessary, through nearby lakes or rivers. Of course, don't take everything your kids tell you about the Anythingmobile at face value. You might end up getting stuck in some pretty deep puddles!

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