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 sexy and cool.

I was excited to get the minivan.

We had two boys, ages two and four, and a medium-sized German shepherd-husky named Jiboo. I was also pregnant, due in a couple of months to give birth to a girl. We needed more vehicular space.

The extra space the minivan provided was luxurious. When we embarked on weekend getaways and summer road trip vacations, we crammed the car with too much stuff but it all fit – our dog, the two strollers, five people’s luggage, the cooler, the sports equipment…

It was also a novelty to be able to walk through a car. Occasionally, I had to change in my car, into or out of my running clothes. It was so spacious that I didn’t have to contort myself into a pretzel to change outfits…