The one and only car accident for which I have been responsible happened in 1996 when the family Ford Windstar collided with the garage. The stationary garage. My driving proficiency was slight and my confidence slighter, so steering the unwieldy minivan into tight spaces was more than my (limited) spatial intelligence could manage.
Maybe that's why for years I've had such an aversion to The Minivan. Though the car my parents owned and generously let me drive was clean and safe, it wasn't particularly cool, and incidentally, neither was I. After years of carpools and road trips in the back-back seat, the thought of The Minivan has converged with the smell of socks and Cheerios, with sitting by little people who have no respect for personal space.
But The Minivan has changed. Everyone I know who owns one loves it. There's the space! The doors that open with the push of a button! The re-arrangeable seating! And I've changed too, because those perks are starting to sound pretty sweet to me. The most tempting feature of The Minivan is doors that open parallel to the car. Gone would be my heart palpitations every time a kiddo shoves out the side door, precariously close to the fancypants car in the next parking stall.
By all accounts, The Minivan is awesome. And for a mother of four, inevitable. So why haven't I bit the bullet? I suppose it's part of the whole identity-as-mother/identity-as-individual balance every mom navigates. The bottom line is I'm thankful to have a car and children to fill it with. And if I do take The Minivan plunge, it will likely signify I'm becoming smarter and more practical.
That's an identity I could live with.
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I think I drove a mini van for 20 years and I was so clueless I didn't even know I was driving an un-cool car. I have a very clear memory of sitting in my first mini van in our garage and feeling Huge buyer's remorse. I didn't want a red car - this was a red VAN and the interior was Red. I felt sick to my stomach. I got over it. Just steer clear of red and be happy.
ReplyDeleteYou will LOVE LOVE LOVE it...if you you take the leap. Truly sometimes I just drive the kids around and we listen to books on CD because they are all strapped in, usually happy, and leave each other alone. It's kind of like independent bonding time!
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