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When Home Seems To Be on the Road
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But she recently started thinking about it in a different way: as a prison for her daughters Lyndsey, 2, and Sydney, 4. The commute between their townhouse in Leesburg and her part-time job in Fairfax takes a toll on the family, she said.
A wistful comment made by her daughter drove that point home. They were leaving Lemmerman's office when Sydney pointed out the car window. "Mommy, if we lived in that house, we'd be home by now."
Lemmerman was recalling this on a recent afternoon as the two girls clambered through the play area at Fair Oaks Mall. She mimed a knife in the air, demonstrating how the comment cut right to her heart.
"It's about quality of life. I'd rather have time with my family than spend time in the car," she said.
When she was growing up, she freely climbed over the seats into the "way back" of her family station wagon, a far different experience than her children have, immobilized in safety seats.
"That is another guilt factor, having them strapped in for hours on end," Lemmerman said.
She and her husband finally decided they'd had enough of commuting and put their Leesburg townhouse on the market last week. They dream of finding a home closer to their jobs in Fairfax.
Road Trips
One recent Saturday, the Mangrums -- Daniel, wife Sabrina, and daughters Danielle and Diamond -- piled into their Dodge minivan outside the parking lot of the family's church, Cornerstone Peaceful Bible Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, where the Mangrums are co-pastors.
Once they were buckled in, Diamond reached for the remote and clicked on the Disney channel. At the same time, she flicked on her portable Nintendo DS. She was soon immersed in the go-cart racing game Mario Kart. Danielle dialed classmates on the bright-fuchsia Razr phone that she calls "her best friend." There was a mini-heartbreak situation involving a rude remark by a classmate that needed to be dissected.
"I was crying last night," Danielle said into her cellphone. "Everyone was like, 'You okay?' I was like, 'No.' "
In the front, her parents, separated from the children by a video screen, were quietly going over the day's church service while gospel music streamed from the radio.
"This is family time," Daniel Mangrum. But the Mangrums were already in their own bubbles -- in their own rooms -- by the time the minivan began sailing up the road.
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