We waited a long time to get a minivan for several reasons. Not least of which among them was that I just didn't want to be a minivan mama. I don't know if I felt it was just too cliche or that the rebel independent in me looked across the sea of silvery minivans glittering from one end of Northern Virginia to the other and after 5 years still refuses to believe that I'm a NOVA mom.
Also, I loved my green Escape. It was the first car that I owned that I can really say that about and mean it. If it had just been me, and not a family of kiddos, I would have driven that thing forever. It was just nice enough without sacrificing a little ruggedness (after all, my very first vehicle was a little pickup). 3 carseats wedged together across the backseat was manageable, though I admit traveling with luggage and gear proved a very tight fit. Still, I loved it.
With a fourth kid on the way, it wasn't an option to keep it. So, we started looking around. My husband seemed almost as bent on not having a minivan as I was and so he perused just about every SUV type vehicle out there that would fit our family.
I happen to have a very amazing husband. He did the majority of researching vehicles and while we both have preferences, his main goal was to find something that would truly be a blessing to me. He considered how I would feel traveling with 4 kids in tow, what needs would present themselves to me, and what would be most convenient and comfortable to me.
The thing is, nothing beat the minivan. There is a reason why moms drive these things. They are made for us.
So, we traded in my Escape for a used Odyssey - and I will never look back. I LOVE IT!!!!!! It is brilliant! It makes my life a ton easier and more comfortable in about a gazillion ways. And here is the clincher - it even gets better gas mileage than my Escape did!
Now, I am proudly reveling in my silvery minivan - feeling totally pampered as I drive around town. I hardly care that I frequently park in a sea of vehicles that look just like mine, because it is totally worth it!
If you have been asking yourself the question of whether to minivan or not as you tow your brood around town and you find a little rebel rising in you against the sea of minivan driving mamas out there - let me just say again, there is a reason why all those mamas are cruising like that. Not like a herd reason, but good make-a-moms-life-easier reasons. If I had known, I might have counted myself among them sooner.
