When I first started driving, I had two options for what to drive: my mom’s Honda Civic, which was a 5-speed, or my dad’s automatic transmission…a Ford Aerostar minivan.
I remember when he came home with that minivan a few months before I started driving. My heart sunk to my stomach with the realization that THIS MONSTROSITY was to be what I had to learn how to drive in. (No one ever said teenagers weren’t dramatic.)
When I finally got my driver’s license, I remember ducking out of sight at red lights and making jokes with my friends out of self-preservation – if I joke about it first, then they can’t pick on me for driving THIS HIDEOUS MACHINE.
Once I got my own car, and out of that Aerostar, I promised myself that I would NEVER. And I mean, NEVER, drive another minivan.
Fast Forward Fifteen Years
I was pregnant with Baby 3. I had a Honda CRV that I loved. I was okay with a small SUV because, well, it wasn’t a minivan. I resisted the minivan life. I did. I argued with my husband that I could make three car seats across the backseat work.
And I could have. I have no doubt.
But practicality won out. He shopped for – without me – a minivan, and I took her for a test drive before all the papers were signed.
“It’s nice. I GUESS. For a {cringing} minivan.”
But once that baby was born, and later when we took our first road trip…I was sold. I was a different person. I didn’t recognize myself. I think I might actually like this thing.
These doors that slide open? Game changer. And there’s just SO MUCH storage space. Okay, I get it. This thing is as practical as they come. It’s winning me over.
Two Years Later
Two years into minivan life, the old gal broke down, and I had to use my husband’s vehicle for a few weeks. With three cars eats side by side in the backseat, something that an earlier version of myself was sure I could handle.
And friends. I could not handle it. They constantly were touching and annoying each other and putting toys in the other one’s faces, and so our car rides became a fast and scary ride of watching Mom lose her sanity.
I almost cried tears of joy when I got my minivan back from the shop. No more sitting right next to each other. Back to sliding doors. Back to lots of space. Oh, and thank you, minivan, for the built-in DVD player too. I don’t just like you; I love you. Please don’t leave me again.
