Minivan confessional

Hi, my name is Jess and I…uh…drive a minivan.

(Hello, Jess.)

When I first got married, I vowed to never get a minivan. In fact, I went so far as to tell my hubby that if I ever suggested it, he had my permission to give me a brisk slap across the face to bring me back to my senses.

What turned the tide was the birth of our third child. After a month, we both had bloody knuckles from clicking our crew into three car seats wedged in the back of our stylish, yet ridiculously impractical sedan. In the end, there was no face slapping – it was a quiet surrender.

I remember pulling into the parking lot at work with my new "vehicle". (I didn't know what to call it - it wasn't a car or truck and I couldn't say the m-word without feeling sick.) A co-worker (a woman much older than I) commented on what a nice minivan I had – Was it new? Could the seats fold down flat into the floor?

Instead of proudly talking about its keyless entry or the DVD player, I lowered my head and mumbled something about not being sure if it was...me.

She patted my hand and said, "You know, your days of cruising for boys are over." To which a witty bystander (this one much younger than I) interjected,

"But if you wanted to, you could seat 6 of them comfortably."

Eventually I got over the shame of driving my minivan, but remained fiercely defensive anytime anyone accused me of being a "soccer mom". To this day, I immediately shoot a scathing look and denounce the accusation.

"I'm hip and trendy,” I say. “I make this van work!"

But now, nearly 3 years later, as a single gal, I’m finding myself feeling embarrassed again. Lately I feel frumpy and extremely uncool when I get behind the wheel.

But why? Am I embarrassed by my status as a mom? Heck no. Not at all. I guess I just want others to perceive me as the cool mom I feel I am. And a minivan doesn’t exactly make one look cool.

So what's a gal to do? Give up the van?

In my case, my sense of practicality outweighs my vanity. I need the extra seating. I like being able to toss kids and bikes inside at a moment’s notice. And above all else, when the kids start to bicker about who’s sitting where, I love that DVD player!

Nah, for now, I’m keeping the van. I might not look like a cool mom on the outside, but that’s okay. I’ll just crank up my music and dream about that little red hatchback in my future. Though…now that I think about it, a 2-door coupe won’t have the legroom of, say a Grand Caravan.

You know, for all those boys.