That's the real test right there... trapping them in a confined space with no escape route. Did you at least lock the child locks on the doors so they couldn't jump out at a red light? I find the best results come when I wait until we're on the highway where there's absolutely zero chance of a walk-out.

Man I was the same way. Used to joke that the BeltLine was just a fancy sidewalk for people with expensive strollers. But then my buddy dragged me out to the Monday night food pop-up near Piedmont Park and I grabbed some pupusas from a lady who remembered my order the next week. Then I kept walking south and found that whole section with the train graffitti and the little garden plots tucked between the tracks. Seriously changed my whole view of the city.

Man, that's really cool you got to see that transformation up close. It's wild how a stable home can flip a kid's whole world around. Those siblings are lucky your uncle and his wife stepped up like that. It makes you wonder how many other kids out there just need that same chance.

A buddy of mine out in Colorado told me he did the same thing for years until a vet pointed it out during a lameness exam. He said the horse was getting touchy on the hind end and they finally figured out it was from him rasping too aggressive on the frogs. He switched to a lighter hand and said the horses went from flinchy to relaxed almost overnight, really made him rethink his whole approach.

Wait, was yours cracking too or just not getting as hard? Trying to figure out if I'm fighting the same problem.