When my husband and I were expecting our second child, we pulled what I like to call the “mommy trifecta.” We left our city apartment for the ‘burbs, I turned 30, and we purchased a minivan.
Yes, I purchased a minivan. I am a minivan mom!
My mom always drove one when we were kids, and I thought I was too cool for it. But after driving our oversized luxury SUV, which got 13 miles to the premium gallon and could barely fit a double stroller in the trunk, I decided we needed to make some changes.
We went to dealerships and test drove plenty of cars… and I kept going back to the minivan.
Why?
It’s made for families. Opening both sliding doors with the push of a button? Genius! When kids are screaming and you’re dropping groceries, that sliding door can be life changing. Minivans also lower to the ground than most SUVs, so my 4-year-old is able to get himself in and out safely — which he loves.
My favorite comment from other moms: “You drive a minivan? But it’s such a mom car!” Well, they’re right. It is. But guess what? Their Pilots and Acadias and Highlanders aren’t exactly screaming “single and getting crazy at the club this weekend.” Those SUVs simply say that their ability to mow down the speedbumps at Market Basket is more important than a little extra cabin space. And know what? I am a mom. I don’t mind driving something that acknowledges that!
It was no coincidence that this weekend, when it came time to tailgate at a concert, my extended family begged us to drive the “party wagon” (doesn’t every car need a good nickname?). It can fit eight people comfortably, no knees up to your chin, with plenty of space in the trunk for coolers and soccer-mom chairs. It even has 15 cup holders, so the minivan moms can chase their afternoon cup of joe with some Gatorade. Booya!
One of my favorite selling points? The TV/DVD player. (Disclaimer: I allow my kids to watch TV… sometimes.) My minivan has a 19″ screen that can play two different movies at the same time, so the kids can watch what they want and it won’t turn into WWIII in my back seat. That’s a mom win right there.
But the real reason I love my minivan is because it works for us. I can comfortably fit the double jogger, cooler, and all of our beach gear in there on a hot summer day. I can tuck skis and winter gear away while avoiding the unfortunate game of suitcase Jenga in the backseat. And my party wagon gets 29 miles to the 87-octane gallon… and I can turn on my seat heaters to keep all my saved gas money warm in my pocket.
So, I’m here to tell you — as a proud minivan mom — that life not only goes on after minivan, it goes on a lot more comfortably.
