Hey You Are Now a MINI VAN Mom

Yeah, I just bought my second minivan and I love it. When I bought my first, I had a 2 year old and a 6 month old. The absolute closer on the decision was the electric sliding doors hands down. A lifesaver when you are carrying two diaper bags from daycare along with a baby in a carrier and holding onto a 2 year old. That being said, I like the extra space. I can fold down the 3rd row and carry damn near anything.

I am a proud "Mini Van Mom". I absolutely LOVE my minivan and wouldn't trade it for anything. I'd be happy driving that thing even AFTER the kids are grown and out of the house. It's convenient, the doors and tailgate open and close at the click of a button, I'm high up with a great view of the road ahead, there's a TON of storage, I could go on and on.

Hate it when I have to drive my husband's sedan or my sister's SUV...

I guess I'm the oddball then. I WANTED to be the minivan driving, soccer mom that hauls half the team around. I WANTED to have a people hauler.

That being said. Neither of my children play soccer. The whole family is into Taekwondo instead.

We have a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan, All Wheel Drive. There is no stow and go, or any of that, but I LOVE my minivan. All the seats come out easily so I can also haul stuff if needed.

Oh shutup you treehugger! You can go stuff your kids in a small car while mine sit in the comfort of a larger one. Ha!

I am a former....an Ex Mini-Van Mom.

I've served my time.....16 years of it.

I know people who felt that way about mini vans. I call them, squished in a car, can my kid go with you, could you haul my drums, could we take your van, moms.

The reality is that if you're a mom, you've lost your coolness factor anyway. And really, if you're a mom, who has the time or energy to care about what strangers think?

I said in my 20s, "Etch it in stone, I'll never own a minivan." Flash forward to my 30s and 40s and I adore our Honda Odyssey. Best car I've ever owned. A minivan really suits our needs right now.

ETA to Dana: As a liberal who has made many green changes to her home, I resent being labeled as inconsiderate to the environment. I'm the one hauling in green bags to the market when no one else in our area bothers. Be very careful about stereotyping people for any reason.

I will have a minivan as long as I have kids at home. We have 4 at home now and two of them will be out of here (God willing!) in 3 years but even with just the two younger ones here I can't imagine not being able to say "hey we're going to the beach, call 5 friends and have them come with us."

After 10 years of driving a sedan, my mom just bought a 2014 Toyota Sienna because she couldn't stand not having enough room to bring a crowd of grandkids somewhere. She's turning 70 and never giving up the mom mobile!

ETA: LOL Dana K really? Or how about this...it's better for my family and passengers to fit into ONE vehicle instead of taking two cars everywhere, which would vastly increase my gas usage and carbon footprint. How else are large families supposed to get around? Or is simply having more than one or two children too environmentally unfriendly for you?

I had one when I needed one and it was a great thing. Once I didn't need one anymore I got my 2004 Honda Pilot and have been driving it since.

DANA K's ANSWER makes me snicker. Have you ever heard of carpooling? Do you eat meat Dana? That's way worse for the environment than driving a mini-van. I also hope you use public transportation quite a lot, ride your bike and walk everywhere possible, use re-usable shopping bags, use only "smart" power strips in your home, never EVER buy bottled water, and have a nice compost pile in your back yard. If not, then you can't talk my dear. (I can't stand judgers.)

YES, I am! And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!!!! We got our Toyota Sienna last February. It was long overdue. We had our 3rd child in August '09, and were crammed into our Chevy Equinox for 3.5 years. With all of the kids getting bigger, it was just not enough space. I used to actually get pissed when I'd see a mom with two kids driving a mini van when I had 3 and didn't have one. We will drive this one until it dies, and then probably buy another one.

Meh....

I don't wear trendy jeans or sport name brand purses. I just don't care what other people think. Comfort,affordability and gas mileage were our "driving" forces for getting a mini van.

My husband and I both love driving the van. My husband even makes little comments here and there about what he likes about the van. "Dang this thing has a great turning radius." "Wow...I can't believe how much storage space this thing has" etc. He drives a company car, a Ford Explorer. He likes it..but prefers driving the van. The van is so roomy.

We haul our kids and so many other kids around in our van. I love that I can push buttons and all the doors open up ,tailgate included, before we reach the vehicle. Then the kids go running and jump right in. I love that the kids can change into their swim suits for swim team and water polo with ease and privacy. I could go on and on..

Wow..I am surprised by a comment below. And here I thought we were doing good for the environment by getting a big enough vehicle to cart our kids around in instead of needing two vehicles. And, our vehicle is big enough to carpool with 4 families each week so we can help each other out while also cutting down on pollution and gas consumption. I also thought our gas mileage was pretty good for such a big boat.

I don't give a fig what people drive but I just don't care for minivans and honestly have never had a need for one.

My mom actually had one for years and loved it to haul around grand-kids and their friends. It got pretty good gas mileage too, as my mom and dad were concerned about the environment way before it became such a dire situation. I have memories of my Dad crushing cans with a hammer in the 70's and hauling them to the recycling center. Trust me, it was not for the money. He just grew up really poor and had the sense that we have finite resources we must preserve for future generations. Guess some of you would call him a tree hugger (like that's a bad thing?)

Dana K- The name calling is not nice but somewhat understandable. If you want to inspire people to care about our environment you're going about it in the worst possible way. I don't know you but I'm sure there are things you do that I might think are destructive to the earth or wasteful of it's resources. We do a lot of good in our house but of course are guilty of some of the waste and pollution that permeates everyday life. Try to put a positive spin on what you do instead of bashing others. Trust me you will inspire people instead of enrage them.
Just a little unsolicited advice:)

Dana K., you make no sense whatsoever. Without a balance, there are two ditches you can fall into. One that is overboard on environmental matters, or not caring about the environmnent at all. If you need a minivan for your many children, then get one, if not, a smaller car. It's that simple! I compost all my scraps, recycle, pick up trash, you name it, but there are some things you can't help, for goodness sake! Environmentalist Wacko!!!

I wanted my van very much, and loved it from the start. My best friend had a mini van, and I was jealous of the way she could put her babies into the vehicle without breaking her back, and that she could bring the stroller or wagon, and a picnic cooler and some friends for a day at the beach. I tried to make due with a car for the first three months of my older sons life and I couldn't wait to get into the mini van.

ETA: Dana K-I am all about the environment. I am sure that my mini van that carries seven people does less damage to the environment than two cars carrying seven people.

ETA: I only have two kids, but I still usually have a full van. I drive other people's kids as well as my own, so that their parents don't have to.

You know what Dana? My van gets about 26 miles per gallon in town and around 30 on the highway which we don't drive on very much. The last car I had only got 14 miles to a gallon of gasoline.

I can't imagine anyone who is driving a vehicle that gets better mileage using something else when they can drive something that is better.

As for feeling uncool in a van that's just the way you see a person who drives a van.

I was given a budget to get a different vehicle for myself. I wanted a white suburban or larger SUV so I could have lots of room. I found a relative that was selling theirs and they would see it to me at my budget. I was having a hard time finding one at my price point that wasn't several years old and that didn't have the extra's I wanted.

Hubby said no anyway. I was soooooo mad. I found exactly what I wanted at the price I was given but he still said no. He said since we already had a vehicle that got sorry gas mileage we one of us had to be responsible and get a vehicle that got good gas mileage. He spent double what my budget was for the van we now have. I was sooooo mad at him. If he'd have given me that much for my budget I could have gotten a new SUV that has better mileage than those old ones I was looking at.

But I've grown accustomed to the new van. It has a great DVD player and a lot of nice things. But I still wish I had that SUV.

I've driven a mini van, I've driven a mini SUV, I've driven a regular 4 door car. None of them have been expensive or fancy by others' standards. The way I look at it, a vehicle gets you and your family from point A to point B safely. Who cares what anyone thinks about it? It's what I drive, not who I am.

I rather like our van. Very handy. Not bothered to drive it at all. It was actually DH's purchase when he had to pare down to one single dad vehicle. Taught the first two kids to drive on it and it's still kicking. I've never worried that my car was uncool. DH is eyeballing a new van in a year or so. He's in love with stow and go seating.

ETA: We keep my Saturn because it runs great still and gets good gas mileage. No, the van does not get the greatest mileage and it is no longer my DH's commuter car. But to think "they hate the environment" is rather harsh. Depending on who you ask, batteries for hybrids aren't great for the planet, either, so you pic your poison (I say this as someone who would like a hybrid some day, but is concerned that in 10 years I'll pay out the nose for new batteries if I keep the car, whereas my 12 yr old car is running fine). And ours handles better in the snow than DH's car, so in bad weather he drives the van to work (my car still does better than both of them).

The bottom line is that you define yourself how you want to be defined. You get "stuck" moving furniture or people only if you allow it.

Welcome to the secret club of proud and happy minivan owners.

Everyone who thinks they just aren't a minivan owner really isn't welcome in the club.

For 3 years I drove a Ford E350. A 12 passenger van. I hated every second of it. But we have 6 kids, and I used to do in home daycare, so it was a necessity. I stopped doing daycare last year and this past May I finally talked my hubby into trading it in. We got a Honda Odyssey. I love love love my mini van. I love everything about it. I don't care what anyone else thinks and I personally feel it was an upgrade from the Ford.

I, too, am a 70 yo grandmother who loves her SUV because I can take grandkids and their friends and because I have room to transport items. I'd previously owned a van which I used for camping. I make choices based onwhat works for me. I've puzzled over why mom's driving minivans has such a negative rap. They are so practical.

I've never been able to figure out the difference between a minivan and a SUV. I call my Dodge Caravan an SUV because that is what the registration and title call it.

Yeah, that's how I felt when I had kids and finally got my first minivan. I had two of them, and was SO grateful when my kids were older and I "graduated" out of a minivan. Funny, I was just as excited to NOT have one as I was to have one years before...

Hey...I had a mini van when I was age 30-35 and it was my rolling living room. It served a huge purpose and that was to get my burgeoning family from point A to point B in one piece and also in one foul swoop. I have four daughters so that is not an easy task. After my kids started growing up and became teenagers, I no longer needed the van. What I needed was a practical and easy to drive...safe...car for my newly licensed teen drivers. So, mini van went buh-bye and cute Honda Civic came to our house for the teens. As always, my mini-van served a purpose and when I was done with it, I traded her in for the next thing that I needed. So....teens have Honda, husband has a Jeep Liberty, and I have a brand new Hyundai Sonata. Everyone is happy. If we need a long trip, we pile into the Jeep or take two cars if need be. I think back to my days with my mini-van and have great memories. Spacious, practical, and oh so good at getting everything and everyone where they needed to be without feeling like a sardine. It really was my rolling living room...my Land Yacht!

I became a minivan mom over 15 years ago and never looked back.

We, too, LOVE our Honda Odyssey (had it for 9 years and still going strong at 130,000+ miles). You just can't beat it. Tight turning circle, plenty of storage, seats many, sitting up high, DVD package for long trips, decent gas mileage, etc.

Mine are 19 and 16 so we certainly don't "need" a minivan anymore. But we still love it.

EMBRACE the minivan life! :P

I have had a mini van since having my first child. I now have 3. I would love to have something not so "momish" but I am pretty happy that I have the space I do in the minivan. The kids aren't on top of each other and bickering the whole time like I imagine they would be in a smaller car.
Maybe once everyone is grown up and out of the house we will go back to a regular sedan.
L.
ADDED - Dana K wasn't just calling us out for driving mini vans she was calling us out for having a family that is big enough to need one. Well then! How about you mind your own business and I mind mine?

I really really don't understand the status symbolism of cars/vans/SUVs. I always drove what was convenient. I've had many mini vans, a full size van, a station wagon, a couple of sedans...and they're all just cars to me. They get me from point A to point B. It's like making assumptions about people based on their skin color or their religion, I just don't get it.

eta

Wow, Dana K, just WOW. You have NO idea how much less of a carbon footprint we (a family of 6) leave than the average family of FOUR! I've looked it up! I'm not even going to list all of the good things we do for the environment, you probably wouldn't believe me anyway. But sheesh...you sound jealous of my large family. What a snarky "neener neener" post.

My car is spacious enough to seat 5 very comfortably.
I've resisted the call of the sheep! Lol
Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Glad you're bonding with yours!
But, me? Never!

Anyone who judges how "cool" a person is based on the kind of car they drive is not someone I'd want to impress anyway.

I was a minivan mom until my daughter turned 11.

At that point, I got my dream sports car.

I will say that our minivan was very good and very functional. Now when we need a load of mulch or something from Home Depot, we have to rent the Home Depot vehicle in order to get things to our home. We miss that part of the minivan but still prefer our sports cars.

The weird thing for me is that some ( I said SOME) moms in minivans are the worst road ragers toward me. Second on that list is older men.

I completely understand!! However, just because you had to get a mini van doesn't mean you aren't young and cool!! It just means you're practical because you need the space.

My girlfriend and I also swore we would never get mini vans. But my girlfriend had to get one when she had her 3rd child. She does love the space but the older 2 are now teenagers and she is looking forward to getting a Camaro when she can get rid of the van!!

My husband just got a big SUV and I refuse to drive it. I'm still in my sports car. We only have one kid... I'm try to stay young and cool as long as I can!!

Glad you're enjoying your new Mini Van!

I only have one kid and I have one. It's great because my dd has to get changed for sports and she has lots of room in the back of the van. It's also nice because we have to move big items for my dh's business. Love the automatic doors...that's worth it right there.

My husband has been trying to get my in a min-van since I was 21 and pregnant with our second. I am now 30 and still flat out refuse, it's just not me. Yes, the allure is nice, but I can't do it.

I drive a Toyota Highlander and it works nicely for our family of 5. However, travelling makes me wish we had the mini-van for more space, but that's the ONLY time.

He (and our sales guy) tried to talk me into the Sienna Sport...it looks cooler, but still, not me. Plus the cars we have now are most likely what our older two kids will drive when they start drviing (assuming the mileage isn't astronomical) and I don't want either of them saddled with a mini-van.

Our Highlander gets about 20mpg around town and up to 28 on the highway, so it's good on gas as well. Our other car is a Camry hybrid, and that's at 40mpg. When only the kids and I travel, we take that car.

The other "big" vehicles have had include a Ford Expedition, Yukon Denali XL, and Nissan Armada. We both miss the Armada the most.

I swore I would never have one and never did. Even now babysitting my grandchildren I would not do it. I bought a Honda Pilot. Minivans do not handle well in the snow.

I'm not sure exactly what the question is. I was never a mini van mom. I had no desire to drive anything other than a regular car. I was always a sedan mom. Everyone needs to figure out what the best vehicle for their needs is.

I thought about it, esp since all my other mom friends seemed to love their minivans. After test driving one, I just can't go there. Maybe because they drive me nuts in traffic. I swear the speedometers on those things are calibrated at least 10 mph under everyone else.

I was a mini van mom for quite a few years but have officially went back to a mom in a car. At the time when I had it, it was nice and easier with my young ones. But there were many things I did not like about it. One being that I was constantly the one driving and hauling people/kids around as I had the "extra" room. And secondly because I felt like everyone cut me off when I was driving in a mini van. I seriously felt like there was this stigma that I was a mom in a van I'll stop or get out of their way. Ugh!

That wasn't the real reason I ultimately got rid of it though. Real reason was the van I had kept having all these problems and I only ever had 2 kids so I didn't feel the need to have a bigger vehicle anyway.

Anyway, I'm back in a car and LOVING it!

Then get an SUV like everyone else.

I could have written this! Exactly how I felt when I got mine. I can't say I love it, but I do like it. I'd love to go back to a small car. Maybe I wouldn't have so many dings and scrapes on my van. I just can't get used to how dang wide and long it is!!

I have had my mini van for a while now and I still do not care for it. Thankfully I have a great husband who has taken over driving the mini van and letting me drive the car for the most part. It also makes more sense to me that since I drive so much further I get to take the one that gets the best gas mileage. Our van does ok at 23 mpg, but our car gets about 32 or 34 mpg so he really can't argue. :)

I was the same way! But it had great benefits!
Mega storage, great room to travel in. Ours had a dvd player built in.
But I WAS happy to trade it in on a smaller car (pacifica)

Sorry - I see minivan and I see a woman (rarely man) who just doesn't care about climate change and the environment. I don't see uncool, I see selfish - my convenience is more important than your child's future environment.

ETA - A van that gets 30 mpg is doing great. But I still stand by my personal impression (which is what the poster asked for). If you have enough kids to need a minivan, then no, you don't care about the environment or your carbon footprint.

I find cars so easy to drive and I feel much safer b/c I can see. When we had 3 kids it was great! We had 3 carseats in a row.
But with #4 obviously, a van. We still have 3 carseats across the middle. Works well.
I don't take it on roads like highways. Blind spots. Ug.