After years of protest and swearing I would never, ever, under any circumstances have a need ... I am the proud owner of a MINIVAN! Yes, my final badge of motherhood has been bestowed on me and I could not be happier!
My protest began as a result of being a passenger in one as a teen. This was the 80s, the birth decade of the minivan and they were, at that time, glorified station wagons and, to me, just as unattractive. More importantly, oh so un-cool! And my family had one that just screamed “grocery grabber” or “loser mobile” ... you know, with the big faux wood-grain siding on it. But yet, it served us well. It was our method of transportation for countless trips to Florida. It carted me back and forth to college many times. It did its job well.
Growing up, getting married, and having kids did not heighten the desire for one because now the cool thing was the SUV. You can get one in any size: small, medium, large, extra-large. What did I need with a minivan? Though the style and creature comforts of the minivan have changed for the better, I was still stuck in my 80s stigma that minivans turned you into a frumpy old mom who’s no fun. Give me a tricked out SUV and I was good to go. I had a Honda CRV. Hardly tricked out … in fact, the base-est of the base models. But an SUV, nonetheless, and that was good enough for me.
The shift came when a good friend of mine, also on protest with two kids, broke down and surrendered to the call of the minivan cult. I was shocked! This lady, who once declared that in spite of motherhood, she will always drive a cute car, now owns a minivan. I was convinced she was brainwashed! I couldn’t believe she of all people—queen of diva-dom—caved on her cute car! And she was happy about it! My thoughts were if she could do it (and love it), maybe I’ll consider it ... later ... when I have another child (I only had one at the time). They are definitely going to have to get cooler!
Fast forward—I now have a four-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son. Two kids in a CRV is like two kids in a VW Beetle! Only one other person could ride with me; two if they were skinny enough to fit between the car seats in the back. The stroller took up the entire trunk space, so forget about shopping. A bigger vehicle was inevitable.
