The Minivan

Cross your fingers.  Tomorrow is the day.  Tomorrow is the day I am hopefully getting a minivan.  I may be the only person excited to get a minivan.  Everyone seems to shrug to say "I'm getting a minivan".  It seems like a minivan is just something you have to do.  After they get their minivan, most moms I know seem to like it.  Maybe not the stigma associated with it but the extra room and the other benefits of a minivan.  I am looking forward to the extra room and the third seat.  Right now we have a Vibe.  Most the time it is fine.  It is snug with Calvin's seat facing backwards but it works.  It is full with the stroller in the back and the groceries.  It will be nice to be able to bring Grandma and Grandpa with us in one car to go out to eat or wherever.  It will be nice to have room to carpool when the kids get a little bigger or to take friends with us.  It will be nice to have room in the car for whatever.  We may not need the extra room often but when we do, it will be nice to have it.  It will be nice to be able to be covered when it is raining and I am buckling the kids in and my backside is still sticking out.  I have mixed feelings about the DVD player.  It is nice to have it in the car.  But we need to set ground rules as to when it is allowed and when it isn't.  Hopefully I can stick to the ground rules.  I don't want to turn the DVD player on every time we go home from school.  I was thinking about why getting a minivan is so important to me.  And it turns out it is the exact reason why people avoid the minivan.  The stigma.  The "soccer mom".  I want that "mom" car.  I am a mom.  I have waited a long time to be a mom.  It includes driving the "mom" car.  

Charlie is struggling with it.  He is still driving a Mustang.  It is 13 years old with 250,000 miles on it.  It is important to him.  I think it helps him hold on to his youth.  He even figured out a way to get 2 car seats in the back of it.  All 4 of us do not fit in it with the car seat turned backwards.  We will probably get rid of the Mustang.  I know it will be hard on him.  Just like it is hard for Charlie's grandpa to sell us the minivan.  He is 92 years old and the car and driving is his last bit of freedom.  He has had to scale back on driving a lot.  He really shouldn't be driving at all.  We have talked to him about this for about a year.  Charlie didn't want to be the one to take away the keys - to take away that freedom.  So we waited for him to be ready.  As Grandpa has to say goodbye to his car and driving, Charlie is in a way saying good bye to a bit of his youth when he has to say good bye to his yellow Mustang.