Why the apologies? Why am I calling myself out? Well friends….I have joined your club. I am now a mini van owner. Yes, its true. After months of GRUELING vehicle shopping, the mini van beat out all of its competition - even my super fab Subaru dream car. And I'm not kidding when I say the car shopping was grueling - the entire process was very revealing too. Apparently, I can be blinded by leather and gadgets and completely overlook blatant body damage and rust, I am very awkward when I get stressed out and say awkward things to Sales Reps like "Jesus does not want me driving a mini van." Yes, I really said that. So what happened to change my mind? What lured me to the mini van and made me give it my seal of approval? It's really simple.
My kids.
When we test drove a mini van their little faces LIT UP. It didn't matter if it had this or that, what they loved is that they all had their own space, they weren't crammed on top of each other three wide in their booster seats - they could lay claim to their own little spot and it made me realize something….
This season of life - full of booster seats and school schedules and snack time and bickering and play dates…will all be over in a flash. If I picked my "dream car" over the mini van, I felt like I'd be stealing some joy from my sweet little people and I certainly don't want to rob them of that. Let's be real, I'm not going to be driving a mini-van later in life by choice so this is kind of a one shot deal. We want our kids to be balanced, to not place too much value on material things - but this feels more like an experience. The mini van experience if you will...While we know we can't put the responsibility of joy on any earthly things, there are some things that just make life a little easier, a little more fun, a little more manageable. I avoided the mini van successfully for 6 1/2 years, but I'm telling you my friends - if you have more than 1 kid and are vehicle shopping - go for the mini van, just go for it! (And yes I'm holding firm to the belief that a mini van for 1 kid is overkill unless you run some sort of after school program or something - just sayin'.)
The truth about mini vans is that they are, in fact, absolutely fabulous. Even the Mom or Dad who is a reluctant mini van driver is lying if they say it isn't. If you're in your mini van season, let me encourage you - don't begrudge it - don't feel like you're losing some of your swag - because you're not. If you're able to roll around in a mini van - giving your kids that fun experience, focus on that because nothing can replace that kind of fun. Finding joy in the everyday small things is what its all about, and if that includes driving a mini van, then bring it on! This season of motherhood is going to go by in a flash and I want to enjoy every morsel of it - mini van and all....
One last thing, if you're local you know Emily & I like supporting our local businesses, so if you're in the market for a pre-owned vehicle (mini van or not) let me spare you some distress - Joe Ben Arney at City Auto is AMAZING in Murfreesboro, he will take great care of you! And Jake at Providence Auto Group in Franklin really ROCKS. I had the BEST experiences at both of these places and its because of these guys. I couldn't recommend them more highly. Providence also has an awesome program where they help families in need of transportation - they are definitely a dealership that likes to give back and worth checking out!
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