Honk If You Love Me

– Ode to my minivan –

In the fall of 2010, we got a black Honda Odyssey minivan. I knew many women, mothers actually – because who other than parents would buy this prudent beast – who had a strong aversion to the mere mention of the minivan. Because entry into motherhood often meant putting our blossoming careers on hold, relinquishing some of our independence, and re-defining our sense of self and purpose as we sacrificed so much of who we were/are for the rearing of our children, the acquisition of the minivan was akin to giving up, to going out in baggy sweatpants. It was the antithesis of…