I don't want a mini van.
I just really really don't.
And I'm not knocking all you amazing mini van driving moms. I know you are amazing, and I know your mini van helps you in your awesomeness.
They are spectacular. The automatic doors. The bucket seats you can easily maneuver around. The seating space for multiple children and friends. The delightful DVD screens that flip down for child amusement and entertainment. The storage in the back. The rearview camera and GPS system and all the other bells and whistles.
I haven't met a mini van owner who doesn't swear by its glory. Every mini van driving mom I know has told me that once I'm driving it, I'll be convinced.
But you know what? I've driven a mini van.
And its just okay to me.
Just. Okay.
But what's more than that? Deep down in my heart of hearts I just despise them. They rank up there with mom jeans and pantyhose. Like the moment I step into mini van ownership I will no longer be my hip 20-something self. And it doesn't matter that I'm 30. And also not hip.
Mini vans are just not my thing.
Occasionally David will start a conversation with, "Now I know you don't want a mini van. And I'm not trying to talk you into one. But..."
And that is when I know that he is trying to talk me into one.
The thing is we're not really even car shopping right now. But we have twin boys. So if we are blessed with anymore children one day, we are going to need a different mode of transportation.
And unfortunately, every non mini van third row seating option that I love? Not so much in our price range. Apparently when it comes to cars I have the taste of a six figure rapper rollin' on some sweet rims.
Or something.
I just can't find the perfect (affordable) option. Hopefully if and when baby number 3 enters our lives we have this thing figured out. And hopefully that doesn't mean mini van.
What do you drive? And do you love it?
I just really really don't.
And I'm not knocking all you amazing mini van driving moms. I know you are amazing, and I know your mini van helps you in your awesomeness.
They are spectacular. The automatic doors. The bucket seats you can easily maneuver around. The seating space for multiple children and friends. The delightful DVD screens that flip down for child amusement and entertainment. The storage in the back. The rearview camera and GPS system and all the other bells and whistles.
I haven't met a mini van owner who doesn't swear by its glory. Every mini van driving mom I know has told me that once I'm driving it, I'll be convinced.
But you know what? I've driven a mini van.
And its just okay to me.
Just. Okay.
But what's more than that? Deep down in my heart of hearts I just despise them. They rank up there with mom jeans and pantyhose. Like the moment I step into mini van ownership I will no longer be my hip 20-something self. And it doesn't matter that I'm 30. And also not hip.
Mini vans are just not my thing.
Occasionally David will start a conversation with, "Now I know you don't want a mini van. And I'm not trying to talk you into one. But..."
And that is when I know that he is trying to talk me into one.
The thing is we're not really even car shopping right now. But we have twin boys. So if we are blessed with anymore children one day, we are going to need a different mode of transportation.
And unfortunately, every non mini van third row seating option that I love? Not so much in our price range. Apparently when it comes to cars I have the taste of a six figure rapper rollin' on some sweet rims.
Or something.
I just can't find the perfect (affordable) option. Hopefully if and when baby number 3 enters our lives we have this thing figured out. And hopefully that doesn't mean mini van.
What do you drive? And do you love it?
13 comments:
You are a girl after my own heart! I SO completely agree with you! Michael had to pull me kicking and screaming (on the inside) to buy our van. It is the ONLY van I said I would drive - it's a Chevy Uplander and I've had lots of people as me if it's an SUV or mini van. And sadly, they don't make them anymore. Hence ours is near 100K miles and we will keep fixing it until it's time for my sweet SUV. :)
We made a deal that I would drive a van while the kids were little and then our next vehicle would be an SUV. Like you said though, all the SUV's I want are way more than we can afford hence fixing our van for now. But since Lil Miss has arrived and I've decided we are done with 3 kids, they will all fit nicely into an SUV when we can afford one. :)
Good luck! Sorry I don't have advice but I will agree that the auto doors and video screen have been a life saver.
I am with you! My mom has been driving mini vans since they first came out. And she wears mom jeans with the elastic panel in the back. I love my mom, but I'm not ready to BE my mom. And I think that if I gave in to a van, the next thing to happen would be shopping for my Lee jeans, and knitting covers for kleenex boxes.
And? My 11 month old is a toilet splasher too(previous post).
-Tina McLarty
Feel. You. i have said it from day one, no mini van! I have an explorer right now, I love it and will drive it until it won't drive anymore unless Gray convinces me that it is too much a gas guzzler and we should get something else. We have that conversation about once a week. Thankfully he doesn't want a mini van either, we are about to become a one car family since he commutes to work and that means HE would have to drive the mini van every time he wants to take the car. :)
I drive a Yukon and have also said there is no way I am going to be a minivan mom...My husband tries to convince me to do the minivan thing, but he doesnt have to drive it all the time...I do. I think all the bells and whistles are awesome... the Yukon on the other hand, I refer to as my beast...It is humongous! But with 4 kids and a dog, oh, and one on the way, I cant part with it for the space. Btw, we still have to have the hitch hauler to go anywhere out of town with all of us. So for now, Im just a mans truck, kinda gal. Good luck
Melinda
sister? just talk to your brother. I am apparently the same as you.
And Trisha STILL thinks I will get a minivan some day.
NO TO THE WAY.
but I also shoved hugely pregnant self and monster 2 year old into a car the size of a postage stamp until it was absolutely impossible for me to drive it anymore.
So I will win this war of stubborn.
I WILL WIN.
I am with you on the whole Mini van thing. I am not a fan. We have a Jeep Commander and LOVE it. it has a third row seat. but I would say it would be great for kids that are old enough to buckle themselves in. There is plenty of room but it would be hard to climb in the back and buckle in a toddler. good luck on the search and 3rd baby (when the time comes!!!) hehe!
I'm 27 ... have 3 kids... and a mini van :) I don't wear mom jeans, though! Ha!
I told everyone I ABSOLUTELY wouldn't drive a mini van...and then the a/c went out in my SUV and we got a...you guessed it... minivan. However, said minivan was being sold by someone a friend of ours new and we got it at a STEAL for cash-money. No car payment plus good deal kinda can change a girls' mind, especially when it means you get to buy more shoes or purses with that money :)
Oh my word...YES!!!! YES YES YES YES YES!!!! I HAAAAAATE mini vans and bow out of conversation everytime they come up because YES - it always ends up everyone tries to talk me into one! But they can't. They won't. My husband and I BOTH stand firm on this one. There are so many other options its just a flat out NO!!!!
We drive a Volvo XC90 and adore it!!! It's an suv with 3rd row seating that folds down flat. The middle seats each individual seat can slide forward and back. Plus the middle seat has a built in booster so when we (if we) are blessed with a third, our now almost 4 year old will hopefully be big enough (he's a tiny boy) to sit there with a car seat on either side. But if not, we can fit more in the back. Don't know what your price range is (I love rapper blingy rides too!) but if you aren't picky on color, you can often find one for under $10k (and we apparently live in a pricey area, so hopefully even less). We love the comfort of Volvo's....bought our first one when we sold our Escape to pay for the adoption and we are sticking with them. Sooooo comfy and super high safety ratings and the booster seat - they are still the only one that makes them, even though they are trying to talk others into adding that into other SUVS. They are ahead on safety features and believe in them so highly they give them to other manufacturers. Just think they are great. But definately shop used. Brand new is RIDICULOUS!!! Haha! =)
Like my novel? I'll go now! Happy car shopping!!!
Oh and btw -- ours has dvd built into the head rest. And so do many other SUVs.
I feel ya for ya, for sure! I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I LOVE it, but we have filled it to the brim and I hate the idea of getting rid of it but know we will need to in order to add any more kids to the family. We have filled the back seat as it is ;) Anyway, it is hard to find anything that compares to a van because we need captain chairs in order to get into the back row of seats because we are going to have a car full of carseats for a loooong time. We will see what we end up with, but sometimes I tell my husband maybe we should skip the whole mini-van and just go for the full size 10-15 passenger one ;)
I am one of those now-50-something empty nesters that drove a van back in the day when having a van was the cool thing.
I still drive one today (Toyota Sienna) because I have never gotten over the conveniences...and here is one that you might not have thought of yet because your kids are wee...
I LOVED IT THAT THE SIDE DOORS SLIDE TO OPEN!! When your kids get old enough to open the door themselves, those big SUV doors and pop out of their hands and ding your neighbors car...I was glad to have one less thing to worry about. No matter how many times I reminded them, it was just too hard to hang on to...
And then there's the storage, and the comfortable seating, and the power doors that are open when I get my packages to the car, and...
I'll stop now...but I understand that at my age, convenience trumps cool...though I will NOT wear mom jeans, and I want you to know that I have a pair of orange flats, and modern clothing, because I do care about cool on some things. ;)
God bless all you young moms out there. Best and hardest job you will ever do...and I love you all for holding yourselves to high standards for raising your precious kiddos!
We drive a dodge journey with a third row seat, it's more affordable than lots of other options and gets pretty good gas mileage
Hey! Its raelynn. You could get a traverse it has 3 rows. I had an equinox which is the smaller version of it and loved it. I was totally a soccer mom driving around in that suv but i didnt care and if someone wanted to give me a traverse i would take it. :)
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