Who is being unreasonable - car radio

[HopeFaithAndSkulduggery]

I like to listen to audiobooks and the ideal time for this is when I am on long car journeys which I often do for work.

Now my family generally do not like audiobooks in the car. DH says he does not like jumping into the middle of the story. Fair enough. So I’ve got some short stories like Saki. DH now says listening to the stories makes him feel carsick.

Teenage dd objects to everything on principle. I will put on some of the short terry Pratchett teen stories or Harry Potter which she liked.

On some journeys we will listen to music. We each choose a song in turn so we will have something 80s, something 90s then some Ed Sheeran. Rinse and repeat. That’s fine.

This is my AIBU:
On some journeys dd will say he doesn’t want to listen to an audiobook, dd will then say she doesn’t want any music either. I then say ‘fine, I will listen to a book I’ve got on the go’ and they say no.

So then we sit in silence for most of three hours. We do have a sit down dinner most days of the week and screens are banned at the table, so we do talk as a family.

So who is being unreasonable. Me for wanting to listen to audiobooks. Them for refusing to listen to curated choices. Them rather sitting in silence.

If it makes a difference I’m the one driving.

On long journeys the drivers choice is final.

YABU. I think audiobooks are best when it's only one person in the car.

And DH never understood me when I used to tell him I did not want to listen to talk radio (Radio 4) because I was tired. Audiobooks would have the same effect. You need to concentrate to listen and not everyone wants to do that in the car.

The problem with books is that they are such a personal choice. I love reading, but dislike most fiction so that would drive me insane.

I think silence is preferable to someone else's book.

Driver's preference dominates. My teens just put their own earphones in, anyway.

Driver chooses.

When the driver wants silence then the rest of us use headphones to listen to what we each want.

When I'm doing a long journey I listen to my audiobook through one headphone. I can still hear the road, the kids, have a quick convo, but also listen to my book. I think it's very selfish of you to expect other people to listen to your choice of book. Just wear headphones in one ear.
Surely your kids, passengers can then either listen to the radio or their choice of music either from the car stereo or on their own phones/ gadgets?

Driver chooses! Always works for us

YABU to expect them to listen to your audiobook part way through, also why do the music choices have to be curated? Can't you just put the radio on? Alternate between R4 and a music station that plays a wide variety

Unfair on the passengers if they are being forced to listen to a book they don’t like. But then they could put headphones in.

When I was younger, my parents would have their choice in the front and my brother and I would each have our headphones in with our own music on. DD should do that and you and DH compromise.

Driver's choice, if others don't like it then they can plug headphones into their phones and listen to whatever they want.

YABU I'm afraid. Listening to the audiobook of a book you aren't interested in reading is not enjoyable. Silence is preferable IMO.

I’d hate having to listen to an audiobook. My dh and I do not share reading choices. Just compromise with some music.

YABU.
What Pierre said.
I hate listening to "talking" - be it a story or a ted talk or a phone in or a news programme. Music can be 'background'.

In this day and age though, surely all the passengers can put their own headphone on / in, and the driver can just listen to what is on the radio.

YABU I would find an audio book very boring.

Driver's choice in our cars, which effectively means Radio 2 if I'm driving* or Radio 4 (or nothing) if DH is.

*Unless it's between 1 and 3 on a Sunday when I'll put R4Extra on because otherwise I want to kill Elaine Paige.

I would prefer silence to someone else's book choice, if I'm honest.

I hate listening to "talking" - be it a story or a ted talk or a phone in or a news programme. Music can be 'background'.

Equally - some people hate listening to music. I never have a music radio station on in the car - always podcasts or radio 4. My car and if I'm driving, my rules. Passengers can listen to whatever they want on their headphones.

Silence or occasional chatting is best. I can't bear listening to other people's choices and I wouldn't make them listen to mine.

MrsStrowman the music is not curated. I meant the audiobooks/stories are chosen as something they would be interested in.

For music each person gets to pick a song in turn so I will have something 90s usually. Dh something 80s and dd something from the charts.

I had never thought of earphones .

Tricky one. These headphones here let me listen to whatever I want, while still being able to hear what is going on around me. Would that be worth trying?

I must admit I disagree with "driver chooses". More often than not journeys with the family involve doing something that at least one person doesn't want to do and before you know it people are just refusing to go (specially teens).

Finally more gadgets I need after watching JML and the like. They look so clever. I might buy them for myself at Christmas.

Piper - that's why I suggested headphones.

However, a car journey is often a good time to have some time with your teens, and encouraging everyone to be listening to their own thing in isolation isn't going to encourage that.
I think sometimes, as parents, it's good to listen to a bit of what your dc are listening to - rarely would it be my choice, but, over the years I've opened my ears to a lot of quite good stuff I'd never have heard otherwise. Equally, my (now grown) dc are experts in the pub quizzes at the "80s Round", through spending some of the time in the car, listening to my choice of music

I always turn the CD or radio off when I'm driving with passengers. Like turning the tv off for visitors I suppose. I certainly wouldn't play an audio book with other people in the car not least because I'd be annoyed if someone spoke over it!