Have you ever been in that purgatory of child rearing when your child still naps, but if she falls asleep in the car for one nanosecond, she “counts” that as the daily nap and is an exhausted mess for the remainder of the day?

In this situation some of you industrious individuals may somehow keep said child awake with music and snacks and the sighting of wild game outdoors, immediately speed home and deposit her in the crib. Other, more saintly types, may simply go about your usual schedule, let the child nap in the car for a short while and patiently deal with the consequences.

If you are a bad mommy like me, you take this opportunity to zone out in the quiet, listen to NPR or music other than Raffi, burn some precious gas and head to the nearest corporate killer of independent commerce: the drive-thru Starbucks.

Residents of Silver Spring proper know that our town does not have one of these delicious bank account drains. That’s where the queen-of-the-road-gas-wasting-Gwen-Stefani-singing comes in: you drive up to Burtonsville or College Park and order a cup of heaven on the loudspeaker.

I know, I know. We should support local and independently-owned businesses. I do. We should conserve gas and road time for a multitude of environmental reasons. I do. I didn’t own or regularly operate a car until I exited the MTV demographic. Which is why I am going to swallow my liberal guilt and give you the coordinates of the places you can get a fantastic, overpriced latte without leaving your vehicle or your snoring darling.

Starbucks with a drive-thru in College Park, MD
Right off the Beltway, near the Home Depot and IKEA
4750 Cherry Hill Road, College Park, Maryland 20740

Starbucks with a drive-thru in Burtonsville, MD
Just up the pike, on 29 in the Burtonsville mini mall
15707 Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866

By the way, if you don’t count caffeine as your current drug of choice, there are still loads of other treats on the menu to enjoy. Cheers!

Thanks to girlfriends Maria and Jennifer B. for telling me about the naptime Starbucks trick.