A quiet car ride with your dad doesn’t have to be awkward. Some families say a lot without talking.

Plenty of families communicate mainly by being near each other, and quiet in a car can be comfort rather than distance. The pressure to fill it comes from outside, from an idea that closeness has to look like conversation. Some people say the important things sideways, near the end of a drive, or not at all. Sitting in the passenger seat is itself a form of company.

Let one quiet drive be quiet without working at it. If there is something you want to say, a car is a good place for it, since neither of you has to make eye contact. Either way, going along counts.